


C'est La Vie Et C'est La Mort

by Grelle



Series: Creepypasta [2]
Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Gore, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Multi, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Verbal Abuse, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2018-12-02 00:49:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 82,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11498313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grelle/pseuds/Grelle
Summary: Mary Montgomery is an average teen with an average appearing family, but when they uplift their lives and move to a dismal town bordered on all sides by a supposedly haunted forest her life begins to flip onto its head. Teased and cruelly beaten at school, Mary finds herself more at ease in the forest than among her own family who don't really see her any differently than the teens who bully her. She becomes fast friends with the mysterious young man who seems to live in the woods, but what will she think of the others who live there as well?Disclaimer: I own none of the Creepypasta characters mentioned other than my OC {Miserable Mary} and her family, nor do I claim to own them, they belong to their respective creators.NOTICE: This story is on temporary Hiatus until further notice. I apologize to everyone whose enjoyed it until now, but I'm spending my time in favor of an original Creepypasta story I'm working on called 'Cyanide Circus' which you can find on my DA under the name GrelleX2. Again I am sorry, I will finish this story when I find the time and motivation again!





	1. Sweet Dreams are Made of These

**Author's Note:**

> People don't start out monsters. They are made into them by the desires and ill-intentions of those around them. Brought forth by the blackest pits of others hearts imposed upon them. - Grelle

* * *

 Mary Montgomery was sixteen years of age when she moved from the only home she had ever known in Texas to a little town surrounded by woods and near constant cold, it always seemed to be raining or cloudy in this new place. She was away from her friends and the life she had known. In this tiny little town she liked to call ' _Misery_ ', though it was actually called something more generic that she couldn't care less to remember. Still, the first days there she had high hopes for a bright new future, for making new friends and maybe getting out of the house more thank she used to. Thank the stars above the town had a decent sized park, boarder on almost all side by woods. Plenty of space to get lost when you didn't wish to be found for awhile. What with her moms constant beating her down and her new step-father who was no better, she didn't really want much to do with them. This was a fresh start, maybe she could reinvent herself here? Be a little more likable at this new school!

The kids at her previous school had been convinced she was some kind of witch, all because she wore almost no color but black. It wasn't her fault, was it? It was the only color she felt comfortable in, like the only one she felt she looked even remotely good in. Mary had only ever tried being nice them too, but that never seemed to matter did it? It never mattered if your were nice, they would only call you naive or gullible. It never mattered if you were smart, they called you a nerd for it. And if your grades fell? They called you stupid. If you didn't follow their trends they called you a freak. If you weren't a skinny little bombshell you were just fat and ugly. 

And Mary discovered quickly this new school was no different. Mary's hopes for a new, brighter future were quickly dashed the first two days of school when she mistakenly ran into one of the popular girls, a skinny raven named Olivia, and smudged her make up while she was putting on a fresh layer at her locker. It didn't take long before people were soon calling her names. Those started small, 'klutz' or 'clumsy'. And then they began shoving her every where she went, pretending not to mean it and laughing behind her back. By the end of the week the names got worse too, 'Dumbass'...'Garbage'. They even started teasing her for her red hair that was way too bright, calling it fake and pulling on it whenever they got the chance. Or her green eyes that seemed to nearly glow they were such a brilliant hue. 

By the third week of going to this school she had ended up ditching, something she wouldn't have done before in her old town. Her mother would be furious later, but at the time she simply didn't care. It was a cold September morning that she snuck from the building, pulling on a black hoodie over her school issued uniform of a white shirt and blue pleated skirt that fell to just around her slender knees. Red high-top Converse sneakers crunched first against the gravel and then the dried, decaying leaves of the forest she wandered into that seemed to reach almost every part of town. Almost like it might swallow the place up. According to the rumors in her new town the forest was cursed, something about a tall creature with no face that always watches. If you see him he'll take you away and kill you or drive you to madness. Not that Mary minded, she sort of hoped as much would happen to her, disappearing at least. Perhaps then she wouldn't be so miserable. Anything would be better than this, right?

Red hair swayed delicately around thin shoulders as Mary walked through the eerily silent forest, nothing but the sound of her breathing and the shuffle of her feet across the leafy ground found her ears. No sounds of birds or any animals at all. Most people would have found this freaky or scary. But not Mary. It was nice, the quiet. No one was saying mean things here. No one was judging her here. She was free in this forest and felt utterly calm. As if she had belonged there all along. Mary had never been exactly normal or typical in any way. Even her own family thought she was weird, a freak. Her elder sister had begged her mother to put Mary in a hospital when she was only five! And all because she swore she could see and speak to the dead, things other people couldn't or wouldn't be able to see. Mary could still remember her imaginary friend, at least a little she could, not perhaps his appearance. But his kindness and sense of fun. Her father had been the only one to believe her when she said she saw things, the only one to encourage her never to stop believing in the impossible. But he was long gone now, having passed from cancer after many years of fighting. Mary missed him badly, he was the only one she felt ever actually loved her or understood her, wanted her.

It was hours before she came across anything but trees, it surprised her that it was a small cemetery. Way out in the forest like it was, it seemed so strange. Considering the people in town seemed so terrified of the forest. It wasn't a large place, surrounded half assed with a low stone wall that was crumbling in places and one large, rusty cast iron gate whose doors swung loudly on their hinges when she pushed them apart enough to get in. It was lined with aged tombstones and big, overgrown mausoleums, and large old oak trees with long gnarled branches that nearly blocked out the light over head from the sun that was slowly starting to go down. The paths were mostly overgrown with weeds and grass that seemed nearly dead, all brown and tan...but for one thin path, which she followed curiously as it seemed like it was traversed often enough to beat down the overgrowth. Never noticing the presence or seeing the shadow that followed her.

Totally unaware of the tall figure stalking closer and closer or the silver gleam of the knife in his hand as he raised it.

At the end of the path she could make out three figures, laughing as they kicked and drew on one stone particular. A frown pulled at pale lips, green eyes narrowing a little as she came closer to them, "Hey! Leave that alone!" She shouted, picking up a rock and tossing it at them that landed just beside them, startling the three teenage boys she recognized from her school. They looked up angrily at first, moving toward her with malicious intent burning in their eyes, but suddenly their expressions turned terrified. They were looking over her shoulder at something and she froze, a trickle of fear going down her spine. Their screams trailed them as they ran away, leaving her confused and now scared. Slowly, she turned to look behind her, not really sure what to expect.

But there was nothing there. Just the empty, tree lined path. ' _Weird..._ ' The red head rubbed the back of her neck, maybe they were just trying to freak her out? Shrugging, she was happy they were gone, moving toward the abused grave they had left. She put her hands on her hips as she examined the mess a moment, before looking in the direction that they had fled, "Serves them right, the jerks. Who desecrates a grave? So not cool." Turning her head she saw the messy state the grave was in and frowned sadly, kneeling down for a better look. They had written all sorts of mean things here in spray paint and marker, even chipped a chunk of stone from the corner of the two foot tall square monument. Taking off the hoodie she was wearing, she used it to wipe as much of the graffiti as she could away, at least able to make out the name afterward. 

_Liu Woods_

"Sorry, Liu. I can't fix much of this mess right now...Maybe I can come back later with some cleaning stuff." She whispered softly, running her fingers over the letters of his name, assuming it was he. Straightening up, Mary dusted the dirt from her knees, spotting a tipped over vase of fresh flowers. She bent down to rearrange the flowers in the vase, setting it in front of the stone neatly. It was sort of strange, this gravestone seemed newer than all the others, not new per say, just newer than others. And seemed like someone visited it often enough to bare a path to the spot and leave flowers still. She wondered if that grave was bothered often. Green eyes read one of the words, in black marker, that she hadn't been able to remove. 'Freak' it read boldly. "Were you bullied too? I don't like this town, everyone seems very cruel here. Even worse than back where I'm from. They think I'm weird cause of my hair...Is it really so strange? I guess it's better than being thought of as a witch though..."

Something shifted in the shadows just beyond the grave, making her look up, taking a startled step back. "Won't do you any good talking to an empty grave." Came the calm voice of a boy who stepped into the evening sun that only just lite the dark little cemetery, the light illuminating his dark brown hair and dark forest green eyes. As well as the stitches and scars on his face, a forced smile stitched messily closed along with a scar across his nose that spanned over the arch of his nose and across his left cheek. He wore a dark purple shirt, black trench coat, and jeans with a striped scarf wrapped haphazardly around his neck. He was smiling calmly at her, in this friendly way that drew her in, made her smile back a little.

"Empty? How do you know its empty?" She asked of him with a curious glint in her bright eyes as he moved forward, leaning against the stone, half sitting on it in fact. "Because its my grave stone...But I'm not dead." He answered simply with a smirk, looking off into the woods a few minutes, before giving her this odd, side long glance. Like he was waiting for something. Mary only nodded to his words, "I see...Are you hiding here then? Pretending to be dead or something?" She asked smiling oddly, almost in a dreamy way, "Must be nice to not have to deal with them anymore."

Liu's smirk slowly fell into a deep frown, the expression tugging at the stitches near his mouth in a way that looked like it might hurt, "Your not scared?" He asked incredulously, eyeing her as if she might actually be crazy. Normal people freaked out when they saw him, ran screaming and such. But this girl just shrugged and tucked a stray strand of red hair behind her ear, "Should I be? You haven't given me any reason to be scared after all." She folded her hands behind her as she looked up at the boy who was at least five inches taller. Mary was rather short, you see, barely five foot six. And this boy was every bit of six foot.

The brunette's eyes went wide at her, "I look like the walking dead." He pointed out, surprised only more so when she giggled at him. Was there something wrong with her? Anyone else would have shit themselves. "I actually like horror movies and stuff like that, so not a lot actually scares me anymore. And you can't judge people by how they look. Besides, you seem nice."

"Nice...?"

"Yes, nice." She smiled then, tilting her head a little, red hair catching the sudden breeze that cut through the trees. The light from the dying sun catching the strands and lighting them up nearly orange. Green eyes turned to the sky a moment, a heavy sigh leaving her, her smile fading. "I need to go home though...I almost wish I didn't have to."

Liu watched her, wondering why she didn't want to go home, he smirked. "Why not stay here?" He asked, standing up, waiting to see what she might do. Curious of this odd girl who seemed unafraid of all the danger around her. Would she be so brave if she met some of the others who hunted these woods? "Heh, tempting. But my family will miss me...Maybe I'll see you again some time!" She replied cheerfully, though he sensed a lie in the words somewhere, feeling better than she had in days as she turned and made the long walk home. If only that feeling of joy could have lasted a little longer...

It was around eight when she arrived home, her parents were waiting for her too, looking far less than pleased as she approached the house. They were waiting on the front porch of their little one story house they now lived in, a house that would never truly be a home to Mary. Her step-father had his arms crossed, his expression dark as he glared at her. And her mother was tapping her foot in annoyance, "Where have you been?! The school called and said you weren't in your classes!" Her mother began in her shrill, angry voice that made her daughter flinch a little. This wouldn't end well.

Mary shrugged, moving to go passed them, hoping they might just let it go for once. But her step-father stepped into her path. "Ah-uh, answer your mother young lady!" He told the red haired teen who let out a sigh, looking at her feet, "I ditched, okay? I went for a walk in the woods and stayed there all day. Some of the other students keep teasing me cause they think I look weird."

"Ridiculous! You already know your a fat little weirdo, so why should having the other kids tell you that be a bother? Now, up to your room! Go do your homework and go to bed, no dinner!" Her mother told her, Mary's step-father stepping aside now so she could pass, hanging her head all the way up the stairs. "Not like it'll hurt the fat wretch to lose a meal or two." Her mother snorted as she and her new husband came back inside.

Words might not hurt physically, but they did stab and tear painfully at the heart and mind. Mary held back the tears, she should have been used to this by now. Her mother had been this way for over four years, ever since her father had passed away. And sometimes even before then, when he wasn't around to hear or see it. Mary new she wasn't super skinny, not by a long shot, but she didn't think she was that fat either. Somewhere in the middle, she only weighed about 130 pounds, that wasn't fat right? As it was she barely ate at all anymore, yet her mother continued to act as if she ate the house in a day. And the more often she said things like she did on the porch the less Mary ate in the end, she often went several days with nothing at all.

The red head sighed heavily, sinking down onto her bed in her room, staring down at her arms that lay on her knees. The walls of the house were thin and when the red head was this quiet she could hear easily her mother talking about her, telling her step-father how much a problem it was keeping Mary around. How she ate all their food and they spent far too much money on her.

The red head sniffled, curling a bit in on herself. Why was she such a burden to everyone? Mary lifted her right hand, dragging her nails painfully down the inside of her left wrist several times, hard enough that she actually broke the skin in places. The pain helped a little, kept her from sobbing her eyes out and bringing too much attention to herself. 

Mary had been doing this a long time. It was safer than cutting, less noticeable too since most the scratches would vanish in a few hours. It helped her think a little straighter and will away most of the darker thoughts in her head, the ones that told her to just end this misery and save everyone the trouble. _'Someone out there has to want me, right?'_

Over the next week Mary spent much of her time visiting the woods, finding herself in the cemetery, either alone or spending time talking to Liu Woods. He wasn't one for talking about himself, but he was a good listener at least and Mary soon found herself talking to him about almost everything, school, her old home, her father...though she left out much of the bad stuff, not really ready to talk about those things.

* * *

 

The next week Mary was sitting in her last class, English Lit. listening to their teacher reading out something from their text book, when a note landed on her desk. Mary frowned, no one gave her notes, was it a mistake? Seemed likely. But as she lifted it, she saw her name on it, which made her green eyes go wide in surprise. Her heart skipped a beat as she unfolded it, reading the short script within, _'Meet me in the Cafeteria after school?'_

Now she really was confused, looking up at the students around her, she spotted one of the boys, Cory Steel shooting her a little smile before he was back to looking like he was studying. He wanted to meet her? Seriously?!

Cory was one of the most popular boys in the school, with black hair brushed to cover one part of his face and little piercings along one ear. He wore all blacks, outside school mostly, and looked like a punk even in his uniform. A very hot punk with his dark hazel eyes. Every girl in the school, including herself, nearly swooned when he entered a room.

And he wanted to meet her?! She was excited and apprehensive all at once as she nibbled her lip, tucking the note away in her pocket. Class could not have gone by slower after that. And when it was finally done she took her time packing her bag, before heading for the cafeteria, half running there. She couldn't believe this was happening! What ever it was.

Mary went inside, making sure none of the staff at the school saw her, not wanting to get in trouble or something if she wasn't supposed to be there. She looked around the dark room, not seeing anyone. Had she beat Cory there? "Hello?" The lights flipped on so suddenly it made the red head jump, green eyes looking around wildly till she spotted the six teens at the door. They included Cory Steel, Olivia Holten, and Olivia's boyfriend William Nadic. As well as three others she didn't know the names of, one other girl with blonde hair and two boys she knew to be on the football team.

The red head backed away from the semi-circle of students, stumbling as they closed in toward her, dropping her bag that she had been hugging when she entered. "Oooh, looky Will, the little hot shot bitch is scared~" Olivia cooed sarcastically, pushing a few strands of her short raven hair out of her chocolate brown eyes. The one named Will was a brunette boy who played football like tow of the others, was as tall and muscled, he let out a laugh. "Not so high and mighty now that your not in those woods, huh? Bet your friend wont help you here."

Mary was terrified and confused, her heart pounding so fast it almost hurt. "I don't know what your talking about!" She replied, backing her self into a table, the hard, plastic edge biting into the back of her hip, "J-Just leave me alone!"

They laughed at her, "I say we knock her down a peg!" The blonde girl with dull blue eyes, grinned darkly. Mary shook her head, turning to get away, but found herself tackled roughly to the floor. The red head let out a shout as they forced her on her back, screaming out for help and trying to fight them off. "Don't run, Mary...It only hurts more if you run." Someone taunted her, laughing. Two of the boys held her down with their knees on her shoulders and arms, that would leave a nasty set of bruises later, but for now Mary's fear addled mind didn't notice the pain. Their laughter was like a medley of the coming nightmare that would forever follow her from that point on. 

All Mary could do was cry and beg as they mercilessly beat her, the ones holding her punching her in the stomach and chest, the resounding sound of something cracking under pressure reaching her ears as she let out a chocked cry. One of them slammed a hand down onto her chest a second time with a loud laugh, the resounding crack echoing in the air as she chocked on something thick and coppery, coughing violently. 

Blood splattered across the floor next to her head where she turned her face to the right, the thick, dark liquid staining her red hair almost black where it was soaked up. She tried to fight them, kick at them, but it was useless. Someone was sitting on her legs too before long. They just kept laughing, calling her cruel names...

_**Freak! Bitch! Whore! Worthless! Trash!** _

"I hate her eyes..." Olivia pouted, the blonde girl coming into view passed the raven something, "Then lets get rid of them!" The other girl piped cheerfully, the raven girl laughing madly at what she now held just out of Mary's line of sight. "Poor Miserable Mary..." She cooed as she leaned over the red head who could now see the object. A plastic spork. Mary turned her head away, trying again with fervor to fight, but someone grabbed her face, scratching at her cheek and around her eye. "No! NO! PLEASE STOP! AH-AAAAAHHH!" Mary screamed as loud as she could as Olivia held her by grabbing a chunk of her hair, tugging hard enough to yank a few strands free. All Mary could do was squeeze her eyes shut and pray that they were bluffing.

But Olivia cackled above her, plunging the plastic utensil into the soft flesh of her left eyelid, tearing at it with a sickening sound. Red hot liquid spilling down the side of her face, her screams turning painful as it tore her throat raw from the abuse. She was forced now to watch as the little utensil begin digging into the flesh of her face, tearing out her left eye in small chunks and pieces. The sickening sounds of it seemed to dance in the still air...

Mary prayed she would just pass out or die right there, anything was better than this. ANYTHING. But their laughs echoed around her as Mary whimpered when the spork was at last pulled away, the left side of her face throbbed and burned badly. Olivia was playing with a portion of her left eye, smiling madly. But the teens were startled by a loud bang, they looked up, before scrambling away, leaving Mary to bleed on the floor.

The red head remembered very little of what happened next, vaguely making out voices above her, some shouting and shuffling of feet before she blacked out at last. Praying still for death.

* * *

 

It was likely a week before Mary awoke in the hospital. Opening her remaining green eye to gaze listlessly at the white washed room around her, her mother sitting on her right, looking relieved when she saw her awake. Yelling for her step-father to come in there. They were talking to her, saying things, but she wasn't really listening. Dazed, she lifted her hands to looked down at the bruises on her arms where the short sleeves of the hospital gown did not hide them. 

Looking down at the IV in her right hand she frowned a little, trying to sluggishly piece together what had happened for her to be there. She barely noticed her mothers arms around her as she lifted her left hand to her face, feeling the bandages there. Her breath caught as the memories flushed back into her brain, her remaining eye going wide as she sucked in a sharp breath, tears forming to spill forth. "Oh, hun, don't cry! You'll soil the bandages!" He mother chastised, making her look up at her at last with a single wide eye.

"I don't know why your upset...Dear, what made you do this to yourself?" Her step-father asked and she turned her head slowly toward him where he stood behind her mother, confused, her single eye glittering with frightened tears. Heart starting to pound loudly in her chest. So loud she could swear the whole room could hear it. "The school said you were in the cafeteria, don't you remember? You...You dug out your eye with a spoon and passed out!" He mother explained, looking ready to get sick just talking about it. Mary's heart dropped into her stomach with a heavy thud, she felt like she couldn't breath at all. "I-I did not! I wouldn't-"

"Mary, hun, tell us what's bothering you, please? This isn't normal behavior, we want to help." Her step-father went on to say, over looking her protests, the red haired teen shaking her head again. She ignored the way her head swam when she did, "Those kids! Will Nadic and Olivia Holten! Th-they did this!" She pleaded for them to listen, but they looked at each other a moment, before looking back with this mix of pity and disbelief.

Her mother looked concerned and confused, "But, that's not possible, the school already investigated and all the parents claimed their children were home at the time... Mary, all the students were at home." Mary could not believe this, listening as he parents just rambled on about how she needed help and such. She shook her head slowly, pulling away from her mother's 'loving' hold, staring at them both in horrified disbelief. They didn't believe her at all. 

They reached for her, looking so concerned, but all she saw was false love. Their fake feelings like written words drifting before them for her to read. They didn't love her. Just wanted to look good. Like model parents.

Mary managed to get out of the bed, pulling the IV from her arm, not noticing or caring that blood began pouring from the small wound to drip down her fingers. Her body ached despite the pain killers no doubt coursing in her veins, her body protesting as she stumbled away from the bed. She dodged her step-father trying to grab her, flinging open the door and rushing out into the hall, startling several nurses. Mary slammed into the wall opposite her room, panting a little, her lungs burned already with the effort. But she was not staying there, she refused to be looked down on, treated like a liar. The red head ran as fast as her drugged and pain addled brain could manage, going straight outside, she lingered only a moment trying to decide what to do. Before steering toward the forest that loomed near by. The safety and comfort of the shadowy trees seemed to call out to her, promising comfort her own family was unable to give.

Mary wasn't sure how far she ran, the trees blurred in her vision like water color running down the canvas until the burning in her lungs was more than she could take, leaning back on one of the many trees. It did not seem as if anyone was following her and if they had she had managed to lose them at the very least. 

Her breathing was labored and shallow and she could just taste the copper on the back of her tongue before she coughed into her hands. Pulling them away to find they were coated in sticky red and she whimpered, curling them to her chest. Above, the sky was growing dark from the inky clouds building up, the low rumble of thunder echoing in the quiet air as she sank to the ground as she let out a soft, anguished sob. 

She was unaware someone was watching her, the sorrow and pain far to overwhelming to notice the shadow just a few feet away as it watched her cry her very heart out. Watched as the blood and tears streaked her pale face, the bandages on the left side quickly staining crimson. The shadow tilted its head thoughtfully, something silver glinting at its side that it lifted and looked at a moment, before moving toward her. Only stopping when a twig snapped under their feet, startling the girl by the tree who lifted her remaining green eye to investigate the noise.

A boy of about seventeen stood just five feet from where she sat, gazing at her with the most startling blue eyes that were enhanced by blackened bruises around them as if he might be recovering from a broken nose or something. He was unnaturally white, the white hoodie he wore not at all helping to make him at least look a little less pale, in fact it seemed to emphasize the colorless shade of his skin. He had a wide smile cut into his cheeks, but she could tell he was frowning at her, seeming to be gagging her reactions. Lanky black hair framed his features, a few strands falling into those impossible blue eyes and somehow he reminded her of someone else she had met out here. He reminded her a lot of Liu. And despite the knife he was holding in his right hand she was not at all scared of him, a slow, sad smile pulling at her lips as she leaned her head back on the tree next to her, wiping some of the mess uselessly from her face. Only managing to smear the tears and blood.

"D-do you live out here too? Like the other boy?" Mary asked at length, breaking the silence between them just as the sky opened up, rain trickling down through the leaves above. The raven just stared at her a long time, it seemed like he was contemplating something. He glanced into the darkness a moment, before moving toward her again. The red head did not move, didn't even flinch, finding herself far to tired to be scared as he lifted that large knife toward her. Mary almost hoped he might be about to kill her, relieve her of her misery, seeing as she was too much of a coward to do it herself. But instead he crouched next to her and held the blade out, seeming to be expecting something. 

Gingerly, Mary lifted her hand up, wrapping her fingers around the handle and taking it from him. He seemed to watch her a moment, the slightest smile pulling at his actual lips and widening the one cut into his face. Still, he remained silent. It made her wonder if maybe he was mute. Now that he was closer she could better see him, even in the low lighting, she could make out the signs of someone who had been burned badly. And outside of the paleness of his skin it had healed very well. He was watching the shadows again, seemingly wary of something. 

She wasn't sure what made her do it, why she reached out, but she traced a finger along the scar that ran from the corner of his mouth on the left side across his cheek. He visibly stiffened, those blue eyes went a little wider as they turned toward her, an almost eerie smile spreading across his face. The sound of the rain was all she could hear as he hoisted her up into his arms, a startled noise leaving her as she was carried into the shadows. Logic said she should struggle or at least protest. But she was just too weak and tired, both physically and emotionally. At this point she didn't care what he was planning to do to her, as long as she never had to go back to those false people...Mary's eyelid felt heavy, she wasn't sure if it was the recent undo stress or the strangely calming rhythm of the raven boy's heart beat next to her ear or even the motion of the rocking caused by being carried so seemingly carefully, but she found it hard to stay awake and before long had drifted off.


	2. Dark in my Imagination

Mary awoke some time later when she noticed they weren't moving anymore, opening her eye she discovered they were in the cemetery, in front of Liu's empty grave. _'Oddly appropriate.'_ She thought, looking up at the raven boy as he finally sat her on her bare feet in the mud there beside him. She wondered for a moment, again, if he meant to kill her. Though he hadn't acted at all as if he was planning it so far. And like before she wasn't afraid either way. They were both quiet awhile, before he gave her that eerie smile again, the one that sort of did and didn't set her nerves on edge and make her almost shudder. "You should put them to sleep."

It was the first words he had spoken the whole night and they made her draw up short, frowning in confusion, "Put them...to sleep?" He smiled just a little wider and the way he did made her curious if it hurt at all, he seemed to be waiting for her to put two and two together and she quickly realized what he meant when she lifted the knife she was still holding. But how had he even known about that...? Mary stared at the old kitchen knife in the low light, a flash of lightening brightening the world enough for her to see her reflection in its surface a moment. "But...I...I can't. I'm not strong enough...they'll just beat me up again, probably worse this time." She replied softly, almost wishing she _could_ actually do it. Could get back at them for this.

The raven shook his head, the smile fading a bit, his expression serious. "And if you don't stand up to them they'll do it anyway." He pointed out, reaching out and taking the knife back, glancing at the shadows around them again. Was he waiting for someone? He smiled again at her, "Meet me outside your house in two days if you want to put them to sleep. I'll show you how its done." He told her, turning to leave. The read head watching him in surprise, eye wide, was her seriously offering to aid her in murder? Though it wasn't much of a stretch considering he had suggested murder in the first place.

"Wait! I-I never got your name!" She called out as he started to vanish in the shadows, one hand outstretched as if to stop him. And he paused for a moment, just inside the tree line, turning his head enough she could see that eerie smile again and those bright eyes of his. "Why not ask my dear baby brother?" He replied cryptically and she frowned deeply, watching him vanish completely.

Mary stood there a long time, clothes wet and clinging to her, just staring at the shadows until the cold that clung to the damp air became too much. A violent shiver raking her body as she hugged herself for warmth, turning to the tombstone and looking again at the name. Was it possible the raven had meant Liu? Were they actually related? She perhaps had not imagined the similarities?

Sighing heavily, she sank down next to the grave, huddling there against it. Not wanting to go home or back to the hospital. She knew she needed to, she could die from the chill or get sick out there, get an infection or something. But somehow she just didn't care. No one cared enough to believe her back home, why should she care enough if she died out in the woods? At least she had friends out here or at least it felt like she could call them that.

"You'll catch your death out here..." Came a calm and familiar voice, she did not lift her face when she heard it, only shrugged. "So? No one would care..." She replied, hugging herself tighter as she felt something warm being laid over her shoulders, Liu knelt down beside her. Pale fingers lifted her chin, forcing her to look up into those forest green eyes, a frown marred Liu's scared face. "What happened?"

Mary sighed, pushing down the tears she felt wanting to come up again, pulling her face from him to look off into the darkness. Swallowing thickly against the lump that formed hard and heavy in her throat, "I...I don't want to think about it." She replied in a near whisper, not trusting her voice to speak any louder. She left it at that, figuring he would drop it. But to her surprise he sighed, standing up, he held out his hand for her. "Come on. I know your not going home, so at least let me take you some where dry. And safer than the cemetery, you really shouldn't hang around out here alone."

She stared at him a long time, wondering why he wanted to help her. He barely knew her, really. Sure they had been talking over the past week, but neither had said too much about themselves in anyway personal, at least she felt they hadn't. Shivering again, Mary finally gave in and reached out to take his hand, allowing him to help her up and lead her from the cemetery. The red head looked back, watching the tombstones vanishing behind them, being swallowed up by the forest and its deep shadows. All the teen could to was wonder if that other boy knew Liu would find her there. If it was why he had left her in that place.

It was a bit of a walk to where Liu took her, she had no concept of time there in the dark forest, but it seemed quiet awhile before they reached a large clearing that she quickly realized was actually a yard, the grass mowed and kept up for the most part. At one edge of the area was a two story home that looked a bit worse for ware, almost all the window shutters were either closed, missing, or boarded up. The paint was peeling off the structure and looked to have been red at one time, the chimney was only slightly leaning to one side rather precariously; Smoke billowing from it was the only sign the place was lived in. It had a nice, wide wrap around porch and but for the windows looked like it may have been a rather lovely little home. At least at some point, now it just looked haunted. She liked it almost at once.

Mary observed the house as she was lead inside, taking in the dimly lite foyer, only a few candles on sconces lighting the inside. So it was subdued, a little eerie, but comfortable somehow. Liu took the coat from her shoulders, hanging it on a hook by the door, along with his scarf. "Make yourself at home, I'll be right back." The brunette told her, pointing to the doorway left of the foyer which appeared to be a living room. The archway to the right was a large kitchen and dinning room, though she only glanced at it. In front of her, next to the archway was the stairs and next to them a short hallway that lead to two closed doors.

The red head stepped toward the living room as her friend vanished upstairs. The room she was in was fairly well sized, with two chairs in front of the fireplace across from the door. A fire burning low in the hearth. A couch to the right side of the room was down two steps in a sunken area and faced a small, old fashioned t.v. with an old N64 hooked up to it and to the left was a large bookcase that occupied the remaining walls that contained plenty of books and nick knacks. A single green eye beheld the odd painting above the fire which was black with a strange white symbol in the middle that took up almost the hole canvas, a circle with an 'X' through it, the little plaque at the bottom read 'No eyes, Always watching.'

She stared at the writing, trying to recall where she had heard that, when it clicked. The other teens at her high school mentioned it, that the forest was haunted by some kind of faceless creature with long tentacles that ate people if it caught them. Why would Liu have such a painting in his home? Seemed a little odd. Everyone in town was terrified of the legend. Then again Liu didn't live in town, did he. _'Come to think of it I saw nothing odd in the woods. Only Liu and that other boy...'_ Mary mused, though, as the thought it over, she could imagine the other boy scaring a lot of people carrying a knife around like he was. The red head blinked away the thought, something in the chair to her right catching her attention, making her look over.

Turning her head she noticed a gray, stuffed rabbit. It had overly long ears that would easily fall past its feet, the insides of which were black with multi-colored polka dots. Around its neck was a baby blue bow that matched the blue strips of the long sleeves that covered its arms and fell nearly as far as its ears. _'So cute.'_ She thought, smiling softly and walking over to the seat, she had not noticed the thing before and wondered if it had already been there or not. Curious, she started to pick it up, but frowned when she noticed how dirty her hands were. The red head didn't want to soil the pretty stuffed animal, pulling her hands back dejectedly. Sighing a little in disappointment that she couldn't hold it yet, she instead looked around the room a bit more. Deciding to ask Liu about the rabbit later.

There wasn't much else in the room, aside from the books to look at, which she did. Many of them looked old, leather bound, and held no titles on their spines. _'How curious...'_ Mary wondered what they might be about but, like the rabbit, didn't want to dirty anything and so she did not touch. 

The red head sighed again, wondering where Liu had gone, when the sound of someone softly singing caught her ears and pulled her attention toward the kitchen. Wondering who it was, it didn't sound like Liu. The voice was rougher, deeper, not entirely unpleasant, but not that of a boy just a little older than herself.

"One candy, maybe two. That's what I'll do. Hmhmh hmmm, Pop goes the weasel. Ehehe~" The song sounded cheerful enough, though sung in a creepy, rough way and as she listened the lyrics quickly seemed to match the odd tone, "Corpse's strung up, filled with candy and sweets, you shiver. Frightening dreams and sick sights, I begin to laugh. Hmhmh hmmm, Pop goes the weasel!"

Mary blinked with a tilt of her head, red hair falling over her shoulder in damp waves as she entered the kitchen, listening to the person humming now to the tune of 'Pop Goes The Weasel'. She found a very tall man, with long, wild black hair that feel just past his shoulders and very pale skin. He wore this odd, monochromatic clown costume that was patched in places with feathers around his shoulders, when he turned to look at her she saw he had a striped cone on his nose and pale eyes that looked to be white or silver. It was as if the colors had been reversed or drained away from him. And for some reason she couldn't help feeling like he should have been...well, colorful. Like he was meant to be a vibrant splash of colors. He stood very still now, quiet as he met her eye steadily, blinking those inverted eyes of his after a few seconds.

For a moment he seemed confused by her presence, the two just staring at each other, before he grinned this shark like smile at her and held out a long arm that was much longer than a persons normally should be. Unfolding his black, clawed fingers, he held out to her several colorful hard candies wrapped in bright paper, "Would you like some?" Mary thought it over a moment, looking down at the sweets he was offering to her, perhaps the sugar would make her feel a little better? After all she was still pretty tired and more than a lot sore, as well as sad. Sweets helped those things right?

Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought about the fact one should not take things from strangers, but disregarded that ridiculous worry. Mary wasn't a child anymore and she could decided for herself if something seemed too dangerous. The strange man seemed alright to her. So the red haired teen selected a bright blue one, smiling softly at the clown, "Thank you...What's your name?" Mary questioned as she unwrapped the little confection, popping it in her mouth with a happy noise. Blue Raspberry! It was her favorite, what a lucky guess!

"Laughing Jack...But everyone here calls me L.J. Its simpler, I'm not the only Jack who lives in the house see?" He told her as he was turning to go back to what he had been doing. Mary peered around him at the counter, finding him mixing what looked to be cookie dough in a large metal bowl. He gave her a side long glance, black lips still up turned in a smile, "And what's your name? You look like a miserable little kiddo."

The red head made a face, turning her single eye downward, "Mary...I suppose I am kind of miserable." She replied softly, fidgeting with the wrapper in her fingers, folding it in different shapes. "Oh, why's that?" Mary shifted a bit at the question, taking a deep breath and letting it out slow, "It doesn't really matter. Besides, I doubt you'll believe me if I told you."

"Try me. You wouldn't believe some of the stories from the others in this house, I seriously doubt yours is any stranger."

Mary looked up at L.J a long moment, finding his smile seemed open and almost kind despite the sharp teeth when he smiled too wide, not as creepy as a few minutes ago. Was there something wrong with her that she found people like him and Liu so much more inviting to be around than the people in town? Probably...

At last the red head sighed, finding a stool on the other-side of the island where L.J was hard at work, she pulled up a seat, leaning on her arms on the counters surface. Too tired to keep standing. "The kids at my school they..." Mary swallowed thickly, trying to dredge the words up from the dark pit in her heart that they currently dwelled in, "They attacked me in the cafeteria, I...I don't even know when it was, I just woke up today in the hospital. They...they held me down and beat me...then...then one of them cut out my eye with a plastic spork..." She told him, lifting a hand to touch the slightly sticky bandages around the left side of her face, her remaining eye glaring at nothing particular, "My parents think I did this to myself. They think I'm crazy or something and I...I-I hate them! I hate all of them!" She shouted at the end, not meaning to, as hot, angry tears spilled down from her good eye. The bandages being soaked once more, but she didn't pay attention to it, though she felt something hot and sticky fall from her chin on that side. Thick red splashing onto the surface she was leaned slightly over, mixing there with the salty tears, as her thin shoulders shook from the force of her trying to reign in her own emotions.

In the archway Liu appeared, having hurried what he had been doing upstairs after hearing her shout, worried something had happened during the brief absence. He lingered there, unnoticed as she sobbed angrily to L.J about those horrible teens who had done this to her, mutilated her and turned her parents, her own family, against her.

Laughing Jack's smile faltered a bit as he lay one of his large, hands to the top of her head in a soothing way, trying to comfort her. "Poor Miserable Mary...We've all felt that hatred...that betrayal. You'll fit in just fine here." The words weren't exactly ones of comfort, more like resigned fact the way he said them. The red haired girl cried and cried until she simply couldn't anymore, ragged breathing over taking her abused lungs as she coughed harshly, spitting up blood into her already dirty fingers. Darkness enclosing the edges of her vision as she looked up toward the ceiling, seeing L.J out of the corner of her eye, his voice sounding as if under water as he said something to her before she fainted and toppled from the stool.

Liu moved to catch her, but as L.J was closer she fell into his waiting, black clawed hands. The clown looked down at the girl with a deep set frown, "Miserable kiddo, ain't she? Think he'll let her stay?" He asked as he passed the girl to the brunette who lifted her easily, Liu moving to leave the kitchen once he had a hold of her, "For now he said its fine. I dunno wither it'll be permanent...I mean, she does and doesn't fit here."

"You mean she's not killed anyone yet." L.J stated as he poured the dough out onto a waiting sheet, rolling it out thin with a rolling-pin. The brunette paused, looking down at the red head.  Liu shook his head slowly, "I really hope she doesn't end up doing that." The clown smiled at him in an almost sad, "Doesn't mean she won't at some point. Kiddo has a lot of anger in her heart."

* * *

 

It was well into the next evening that Mary awoke in a warm bed, her single eye fluttering open to take in a sparsely decorated little room, the shudders closed tight on the window next to the bed pressed beneath it. A nightstand to her left held only a single lamp, which dimly lite a small area around it. And a small paper note folded in half with her name written on it in neat scrawl. The only other things in the room were the two doors, one presumably lead out and the other a closet, as well as a single dresser and an empty book case.

Mary climbed out of the warm blankets, lifting the note and reading it.

_Mary._

_Everyone will be away for the evening for various reasons. The bathroom is just across the hall, there are some clothes in the dresser for you, feel free to freshen up. Food has been left in the fridge. Your free to explore the house and the grounds, but don't wander far and be respectful of the other residences privacy. Their doors are locked for good reason. I look forward to meeting you soon enough.  
_

At the bottom was that strange symbol again, the circle with the 'X'. Obviously whomever left the note wasn't Liu or L.J. She wondered who else lived there, aside from them and the other Jack she recalled Laughing Jack mentioning yesterday. Mary sighed heavily, setting the note down, she scanned the room once more.

The teenager had to wonder how long she had been out, was it only the night or maybe longer? She wasn't as achy anymore, but still fairly sore. Biting her lip, she grabbed the clothes from the dresser, just a simple gray dress, black shorts and undergarments, before heading to the bathroom. On the way across the surprisingly wide hall she paused, catching the sound of something...like a music box. She couldn't place the tune nor the source as she looked up and down the dim hallway, frowning deeply.

Mary shrugged it off for now, assuming it was coming from one of the other rooms, maybe someone had come back early? Entering the bathroom, she locked the door behind her and set her clothes on the long counter, looking up at the wall length mirror. She came up short at the sight of her reflection. The teen was pale, paler than she ever recalled, her red hair a mess around her head and shoulders. The hospital gown she was still wearing was dirty with mud and blood, dark blue and purple bruises colored her arms to her elbows, but it was the limply hanging bandages barely clinging to the left side of her face that made her stomach twist sickeningly.

Trembling fingers lifted to pull at the bandages, hissing at the tug from the dried blood that stuck them to her skin in places and the cuts beneath. Dropping them on the counter, she stared, transfixed at the mess that was left of her eye. Shaking, she pushed back her bangs for a better look and held in a sob at the sight. The hollow, swollen socket of her left eye was blackened with dark bruises and crusty old blood, surrounded by criss-crossing cuts that oozed a little now thanks to the bandages being yanked away. It was disgusting. Plain and simple.

But she realized with a twisted thud of her heart that it sort of matched how she felt inside. Like a wretched waste of air and space. It looked as nasty as she always seemed to feel she was. As her mother had always told her she was. "Eh...ehehe..." Tears slowly fell from her good eye, but blackish pink fell from the empty socket, staining her skin a bit where it streaked down her cheek. "Ahahahaha~" She laughed, the sound was dark, filled with madness as she cackled at her own disgusting face. Mary had the urge to make it worse, dragging her nails down from the bottom of that socket and cutting into her skin, leaving little bleeding marks as she did and laughing only louder at the pain as she clawed at her ruined face. All the while sobbing.

This went on perhaps fifteen minutes until that little music box sound caught her ears again and she snapped out of it, dropping her bangs, which fell mostly over the ruined half of her features. Green eye stared at the door a long while, before she frowned, the brightness that once shined in its depths going dark. Empty and devoid of anything good. Taking a long, scalding shower and scrubbing herself nearly raw, Mary dressed and exited the bathroom. Not before brushing her hair carefully over that nasty empty socket though. Not wanting to freak anyone out. She wished she had something better to cover it up with, but she didn't...

Out in the hall the red head glared at the floor a bit, trying to decided what to do now. The music seemed endless and soft, but louder than before and she lifted her eye to look around. Seeing only shadows barely lit by the candles along the walls that shifted a bit and danced in the corners and edges of the hallway. Looking back, in the direction she assumed was the stairs, she debated on just going to the living room. But that music very nearly seemed like it was trying to draw her in, calling out to her.

So, hesitantly, she went farther down the dark hall to look for the source. Eventually she came to a stop, outside a pale blue door that was open just slightly, the music seemed to stop abruptly. Mary found herself looking back, warily, as if second guessing this venture as her heart pounded loudly in her chest. The red head reached out, pushing the door open slowly, the hinges creaking loudly in the dark house and making her heart race all the more. For a moment she was actually scared, afraid of the creepy house she had found comforting only yesterday evening. "Hello...? Is anyone there?" She called out into the dark room as she took a step or two forward, unable see much beyond the dim square of light that spilled in from the hall she was leaving.

Something moved, she heard it, slithering by in the corner to the right. But when she turned to peer into the dark she saw nothing, moving to the edge of the light, trying her hardest to see it. Something tiny and glowing red appeared, moving slowly toward her, close to the ground. Frightened, she took a step back. But Mary went still when she felt something warm and somewhat hard behind her, that she had clearly backed into, her shoulders starting to tremble as she turned her head to see. Her single green eye wide, spotting first the brown leather vest that clung to the strong looking chest and the white button up beneath, her eye traveled up to the face that she couldn't make out for the mans own darker red hair and the shadows cast from fringe of it. An eerie smile spread across slightly discolored lips, revealing sharp teeth, a wicked expression as something green-yellow began to glow, lighting the mans face a little. He might have been handsome if the look didn't scare her so badly in that moment as he looked down at her, "You should really learn to knock, its rather rude to just walk into someones room, even if the door was left open."

Mary swallowed thickly, turning fully and taking a step away from him, unwittingly into the darkness of the room. Out of the safety of that lit square in which he now occupied, "I-I'm sorry! I heard music and got curious...Th-the note said no one else was home and-and I...!" Something brushed her left arm, which she jerked back in shock and fear, having to turn her head almost all the way in order to look to see what is was since she only had her right eye. But again she could see nothing but darkness. Fear gripped her as she shrunk a little on herself, her breathing picking up from it, turning to panicked panting. At this rate she would hyperventilate...For a moment an image of Olivia and her friends flashed in the girls mind. The panic welling like a glass over flowing and for a second she stopped breathing all together. Did this man mean her harm? It felt like it, his very presence seemed overwhelmingly dangerous. The teenager wanted to run, but had no way of escaping since he was between her and the exit.

And then, out of no where the room was suddenly bathed in light, startling the already frightened girl. The red haired man smiled at her, brightly and in a friendly way now, like he had not at all been threatening before. "It's fine, I was only teasing you a bit. Your not quiet totally numb to fear, I was under the impression you were." He tilted his head a bit, shoulder length hair fall over his right shoulder and into his face a bit, his eyes were a shade of green even brighter than Mary's. "You seemed so comfortable around Laughing Jack, I figured this wouldn't bother you at all." He mused allowed, humming a happy tune as he moved about the room, set up like a bedroom and workshop all at once. It was much bigger than it had appeared at first, in fact it seemed larger than it likely should. Floral wallpaper, peeling in places, covered the walls in subdued little pops of blue and yellow. The floor was covered in plush looking blue carpet on one side and bare floor boards from the door she had entered over. The carpeted side held the bed, made up all neat, with a matching night stand and dresser. The other side was a workshop with several large tables covered in tools and...toy parts?

In fact, once Mary had calmed a little, she saw the room was littered with toys. Big ones, small ones, some mechanical and others clearly cloth and immobile. Some where glass, others porcelain or fine material. They covered almost every surface, filled up multiple shelves and available corners. All of them were bright and cheerful and held sweet smiles and happy grins. Mary found herself smiling as she looked at them, wandering closer to a large doll on a chair, she looked to be the size of a small child. It had short brown hair and glossy orange eyes, wearing a nice, frilly blue dress, its cheeks painted softly pink. "Would you like one?" The mans voice was right next to her ear, the sound shaking her from her momentary star struck state, making her jump and turn her head to look at him. He smiled at her knowingly, his golden eyes glittering, "I saw you admiring this one yesterday." He went on, holding up something into her line of sight. It was the rabbit she had seen in the chair yesterday, but that was not what made her shiver, it was what  he had said. He had seen her. He knew she had been looking at it yesterday. How?! When...?!

She was sure she had seen no one else besides Laughing Jack and Liu when she arrived, so how could he have seen her?! He laughed a little, "Don't look so alarmed! I don't plan to hurt you, your a guest here and that makes you off limits. Though...you would make a lovely doll." At the way she no doubt paled he chuckled, holding out the rabbit to her, an expectant look on his face. "Here, as a sign of friendship. I'm Jason, the toy maker."

Hesitantly, Mary reached out, looking between him and the rabbit. Taking it gingerly into her hands, the teen looked at it a moment, before slowly smiling, seeming to calm down a bit more. "I'm Mary, its nice to meet you." She replied, hugging the rabbit, feeling better than she had since waking in the hospital. Jason seemed satisfied, walking away to work in his workshop on a rather large doll with a wind up key in its back that was slumped over on the table top. "So, how are you liking it here so far? Your not easily frightened of things, like most people would be."

Mary wandered over to the table, standing on the other side and watching the taller man work, "I don't understand..." He looked at her oddly when she said this, frowning lightly, "What, pray tell, don't you understand?"

"Everyone seems to think I should be scared first. Liu, you, even L.J. You all seem to think your scary, but your really not to me at all. Well...you...you were a minute ago. But I'm not scared now, I actually like it here so far. I feel like...I'm more comfortable here, than I was back at home. Is there something wrong with me?" The red haired girl looked down sadly, feeling like some kind of freak now that she had said it allowed. Jason was quiet a moment, before he let out a laugh, shaking his head at her when she looked up at him in surprise. "Of course there's something wrong with you! Why else would you be allowed to stay?"

That didn't comfort her at all and the small girl sighed, hugging the rabbit again. "But, I think its better that way." One green eye met bright golden green, "After all, what's the fun in being one of those plain animals when you have the makings of a lovely doll?" Mary smiled a little at this, somehow not as upset about it when she thought of it like that. It was good to be different. And, after all, it seemed like she fit in there so far.

* * *

 

Later that night Mary found herself out on the large porch, sitting on the steps, watching the rain trickling down from the sky. The house was quiet and she didn't really know what to do at this point. She would have talked to Jason longer, but didn't want to bother him while he worked. The red head sighed softly, hugging the rabbit she had now close, closing her eye and just listening to the sounds of the outside.

As she sat there she began thinking of what that raven haired boy had said the day before, about those bullies. How they wouldn't stop, even if she let it go. Was he right? But, even if he was, was it really okay for her to get back at them? The way he was talking about, by putting them 'to sleep'. She wasn't naive, she knew very well he was talking about killing them. Mary knew also, that killing was wrong, bad, against the law. But...but so was what they did to her, right? And they were getting away with it, wasn't it only fair if she got back at them in this case?

Mary jerked, frowning for doing so when she heard the sound of a twig snapping, lifting her one eye to look around. At first she didn't see anything, chalked it up to her imagination, but then her green eye landed on something in the tree line. Or rather someone it seemed. They were tall, taller than her there was no doubt, everyone seemed to be at this house. He, she assumed it was a he, was wearing a black hoodie and jeans. Mary couldn't make out his face for the dark blue mask he wore, the eyes of which were totally black and from there it looked like someone had painted inky tears racing down from them.

The red haired girl sat there a long while, wondering who he was, if he lived there too. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach that nagged that she should be worried she was alone out there like that with whomever it was, but she ignored it. Instead she lifted her right hand to wave at the stranger in the mask as he shifted from one foot to the other, appearing to be debating on something. It was several minutes before he lifted his own hand from the pocket of his hoodie, waving a little back, which made her smile a bit.

Finally, he looked around, well turned his head about as if he was, before walking across the yard toward her. Pausing at the bottom of the steps, he 'stared' at her a long while, saying nothing. Now that he was closer she could see the black substance on his face wasn't painted on, but oozing slowly. Was he crying? Mary frowned sadly, "Are you okay...?"

"Are you the new house guest?"

Mary blinked at the question, shrugging a bit, "Apparently. I'm Mary." She replied, letting her concern go for the time being. He kept staring a bit, before this little noise like a laugh left him, "Miserable Mary. L.J told me that's the name for you. I'm Eyeless Jack, you can call me E.J." He explained, coming out of the rain to sit with her on the steps. Mary made a face at the name he called her, was that going to stick? She wasn't sure she liked it. "So, your the other Jack he told me about. Its nice to meet you."

Silence fell over them and for a time it was okay, but it quickly made Mary uncomfortable as she shifted a little, "So...how many people live here? I've met L.J and you. And Jason and Liu. But, I get the feeling there's more." E.J  nodded to her, turning his head toward her now, this close she could see there was no eyes behind his mask, his name made sense. But how could he see? "You'd be right. But everyone sort of comes and goes as they please, so don't expect to meet everyone anytime soon. Or ever in some cases. You call it 'living here', but really its more like we crash here once and awhile. Like a safe haven when we've no where else. For some its constant. Like Liu and Jason, they 'live here' all the time. L.J and I don't per say."

Mary nodded to the explanation, though it was kind of confusing. "So...do you all own the house together?" This seemed to make him laugh, his shoulders shook and he shook his head at this, before lifting those eyeless holes to her. "Of course not! You'll meet him soon, so don't worry. But, try not to freak out when you do, he's a pretty scary guy."

"Is he? He seemed awfully nice in the note he left...well I assume he left it." The red head frowned a little, hugging her rabbit, "Either way, I'm not worried." E.J tilted his head a bit at her, "Oh, why not? He could decide to eat you in the end."

She shrugged, not really that bothered by that idea, "It would be better than getting sent away. I'd rather be dead than go home..." She buried her face in her rabbit, pulling her knees up to her, curling up on the spot and glaring out at the trees. E.J got to his feet, "Yeah, that seems to be the running thing with a lot of us here. Either no home or not wanting to return to one. L.J was right, you belong here." Mary listened to his feet retreating as the front door opened and closed, leaving her alone again. Thinking about home.

Mary felt angry thinking of her mother and step father, of how they never loved her or believed her when she needed their help most. She thought of those bullies again, of that boy and his idea. And the more she did the more she liked it. Dark blue and black came into her vision and she didn't need to look up to know who it was who sat next to her now, "Your thinking of getting back at them..." Liu said softly and she didn't answer, she didn't need to. "Don't. It won't solve anything. Killing them will only make you more miserable, make you want it more, like a thirst you can't satisfy. You'll just end up a monster."

The red head didn't look up, she could feel herself wanting to cry, but tried hard not to. She felt the weight of his hand on her head, "I brought you here because it was safe, so don't end up like the rest of them. Their all monsters." He stood and went inside, leaving her again. And she lifted her head, turning it toward the door as he was closing, "But, aren't you the same?" The words were quiet and she doubted her heard them, not that she was worried. She didn't think less of him or anything, monster or not, he was her friend. Right? So far, they all seemed nice and friendly. Who cared it they were monsters, if they accepted her she honestly didn't care what they did in the spare time. But, wasn't that cause she was somehow like them? Laughing Jack seemed to think so.

No one else new showed up that night or the next morning either, Liu was gone when she woke up and Jason's door was gone when she sought him out. So she found herself alone it seemed, allowing herself to think over Liu's words and her own want to get revenge. That raven haired boy would be waiting for her that evening, right? She needed to decide.

Mary kept reaching the same thing though, as much as it felt like she was going to disappoint Liu, she really wanted to do it. She kept thinking about her missing eye, about how much she had this sick desire to take their eyes to replace it. Eye for an eye, right? That was okay...wasn't it? It was the golden rule. She didn't need to kill them, just...just take what they took from her! "Eheh...ehehehe..." She lifted a hand to the ruined side of her face, doubling over with laughter that echoed in the empty bedroom she was sitting in.

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is! Thanks to everyone whose read this so far! I makes me unbelievably happy to see people taking interest in my work. Home everyone enjoys my little fanart, it was the cover I made for this story on Wattpad. Im not very good at drawing, sorry >_ <'


	3. Go To Sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Extremely messy violence ahead. =w= Also....I was really pissed when I wrote this, sorry in advance. It was actually written before chapter 2 was even half way done. Anyway, have fun kiddies!

It wasn't at all hard sneaking out that evening, given she had seen no one in the house all day. Mary left her rabbit behind, giving it a last hug and telling him she would be back later, she felt childish doing so, but it just felt like...like he was sad when she had started to go. _'I should really give him a name...'_ She thought as she quietly left the house, going to the edge of the trees and pausing, looking back for a few moments. She had been told not to go too far...Would she be able to find her way back? The red head felt like she could, after all Liu had led her there from the cemetery, which was the direction she began walking in.

It would be easy, if she came there and then went home and back. Right? As she walked, skipping a little over the falling tree limbs and roots and rocks, humming that weird version of 'Pop Goes the Weasel' Laughing Jack had been singing before, she wondered what tonight would be like. She felt almost cheerful about the thought of seeing Olivia's face twisted in terror and anguish as she had done to her. The red head sang softly as she went, heart fluttering in excitement. Her bare feet were muddy and wet when she reached the grave yard, seeing no one, only the flickering of a few candles on the grave stone that belonged to Liu. _'Who keeps lighting those?'_ Mary wondered as she lingered a moment watching that spot, before moving on in the direction of her house.

It really didn't take long to reach it, she hadn't really realized till then how close it was to that cemetery. It had seemed so much farther before. She stood in the trees, staring at the back porch in the distance, not wanting to get closer for fear of being seen. There were no lights on inside, were they not home? Her parents. Mary frowned softly, looking at the ground and leaning against the tree she was next to, did they even miss her? Were they worried at all? Lifting her single eye she sighed softly, looking around for that boy she was supposed to meet, but didn't see him. Had she misunderstood?

"Looking for me?" Came the deep voice near her left side, making her jump a little, whipping around to see the raven boy come out from the other side of the tree she had been leaning on. He laughed a bit, which looked and sounded a bit eerie when she again noticed the scars of the cut in smile on his cheeks. "How long have you been there?" She asked, hands clutched near her heart as she willed it to slow down. He smiled at her, walking over and stopping, leaning down toward her face a little too close. "You really didn't notice me at all?"

"I...I couldn't have if you came up on that side." She replied, turning away from him, keeping her left side hidden in her hair. At least till her reached out, startling her again when he pushed the hair way a little roughly, grabbing a hold of it to force her to look at him again. He was frowning at her, at the empty hole and the angry healing cuts and welts, likely noticing the fresher cuts from where she had clawed at her face yesterday. "So...this is what they did, huh?"

Mary didn't answer him, just shut her good eye, trying not to let the fear or disgust show. The raven haired boy let her go, almost gently petting her hair back into place. He pushed his hoodie down from his face, smiling at her and pushing his hair back. "It ain't so bad, at least they didn't set _you_ on fire." He told her, allowing her to see him better in the light of the setting sun. Her stomach twisted almost painfully, set on fire? He had been set on fire?! The red head swallowed thickly, that was horrible, she couldn't even begin to imagine the sort of pain he must have been in. When she still didn't reply, his smile turned somewhat dangerous, "Aren't I beautiful?" He asked her, leaning in again, though this time she wasn't afraid, she only frowned at him. Feeling rather sad, more than scared as she looked at his slightly bloodshot blue eyes. "I think you are."

The raven frowned at her, apparently that wasn't the answer he was expecting, because he just stared at her as he straightened up. Finally he shook his head and started walking, motioning her to follow before pulling his hood up over his head again. "What's your name?" She asked as they walked, keeping her voice down as they stuck to the shadows in her neighborhood behind peoples houses. He didn't answer, but he did turn his head enough for her to catch the smile on his face, the one on his actual lips, did he seriously expect her to guess or something? "Y'know, I don't know who your brother is. You told me to ask him...Did you mean Liu?"

She heard him chuckle softly, "How is he by the way? Since he started living at that place full time?" Mary frowned at his odd question, "I don't really know. I've not talked to him much since the other day when you left me in the cemetery." The red head sighed a little, thinking about Liu again, would he be upset if he found out about this? "Do you not get along or something?"

"Something like that."

Mary lifted her head from where she had been watching the ground as they walked, not wanting to trip or step wrong, since she was bare foot. "Did you know he would find me?" She asked him and again he was quiet, she thought he wasn't going to answer her, but slowly he came to a stop. "Know what? Probably best you don't tell him you've been around me, by the way." The raven never looked at her as he spoke and the words sounded so solemn and sad to her, it made her want to reach out to him. But he was moving a second later. "Wait here. I'll get the party started~" The older of the pair cooed, chuckling a little.

The red head looked around, seeing the house he was walking toward, her heart skipping a beat. Mary stood just in the tree line, left hand placed gently on the bark of a large oak, watching Jeff walking so casually up to the Holten house, knife dancing between his fingers so nimbly despite its size and weight. She hadn't even noticed he had it till then. He had that eerie smile on his discolored lips as he went, dodging round the side of the house and out of sight. She looked up at the second floor window, she could easily make out Olivia there, talking on her cellphone and totally unaware.

The red headed teen watched as the other girl looked up, seemed to see something and heard even from there with the windows all closed as she screamed out in fear. Mary watched as that boy came into view for a brief moment, Olivia dodging around him to escape.  She listened as Olivia came running down the stairs, seeing her flinging open the back door and start toward the woods, unknowing Mary was there.

Now, Mary knew the right thing to do would be to let Olivia escape, because she knew without any doubt that the raven boy very much intended to kill her if she didn't do it herself. But, something about that girls screams, seeing the terrified look in her features, it...it broke something inside Mary. Like a dam letting loose all its water or a mirror smashing beneath the weight of a fist, the cracks and fissures spreading outward in a cascade of madness and rage. The red head shot her foot out at the last second, causing the raven girl to stumble with a shout and go rolling across the leaves and muddy ground.

Olivia was shaking as she got up to her knees, letting out a small moan of pain, hands scraped and bloody from the stones and sticks she had skidded across. The dark haired girl lifted her eyes to see Mary and blinked, taking in a sharp breath, "Y-you? Please! Please, he's going to kill me! You gotta help me!" The teen pleaded to her once peer, crawling toward her, latching onto the hem of her gray dress.

Mary tilted her head a little, just staring at Olivia, single eye dark. It swirled with anger, pain, loathing, hatred. All the dark, ugly emotions that welled in the red head's heart like a virus consuming its victim. She could hear that boy approaching from behind, but he was being quiet again and she was sure Olivia didn't notice him just yet. "Its...okay. He's not going to kill you." She told the other girl, a very slow, reassuring smile turning up the corners of her rosy red lips. The look did not change the one in her eye. Olivia was shaking, smiling back a bit, seeming relieved to hear this. Not reading into the true threat hidden beneath the sweet words. And sure enough that relief was short lived as she saw Mary's smile turn sadistic and cold, her single green eye shining bright in the darkness as she tilted her head the opposite way. "He's not going to kill you...Because...I want to play a game with you first."

"Y-your the reason he's here! You crazy fucking freak! Is this some kind of sick prank?!" Olivia yelled at her, but Mary was undeterred as the raven got to her feet and backed away. The red head reached out slowly and grabbed the girls hand, yanking her back with shocking ease that surprised the taller teenager, smiling this eerie smile at her. "Don't run, Olivia...it only hurts more if you run." The other girl froze at Mary's words, looking into her empty eye socket, the fear so strong one could almost lick it out of the air like falling snow. No one moved...No one _breathed_.

The raven boy let out a small, amused noise and Mary lunged, wrapping her hands around Olivia's thin throat. The red head began to laugh slow, low...and then it grew, louder and louder until she was cackling like mad. "Isn't this fun Olivia!? I'm going to make you like me! You'll be _perfect_ like me! Ugly and unwanted!!!" She screamed at the raven as she watched the life leave her terrified eyes, but just before she could die Mary let go of her throat. Grabbing her by her hair, she yanked the raven's head back as she was gasping for air, reaching out with her other hand and digging her nails into her face. She clawed and scratched and dug, Olivia's screams echoing in the trees as the girl beneath the red head attempted to fight back, clawing at the smaller girls arms where her dress left them exposed. Mary didn't stop until she could wrap her fingers around the other girls left eye.

The red headed girl tugged once, carefully, so the veins and nerves still clung to the screaming girl beneath her. The must must have been unbearable, Olivia's screams had become hoarse and nearly soundless, raw. The red head smiled darkly, staring into the loose eye, giggling a bit. "Such an ugly color...that's really too bad...Y'know, I really like green better. But...I think my favorite color is blue." Her tongue darted out, licking her lips as her eye turned wild again, smile spreading wide as she ripped the eye from Olivia's skull roughly. She ignored the raven girl as she screamed and clutched at the now empty socket, crying and sobbing so foolishly. The sound of her agony just made Mary so happy, she could have danced, though as it was she swayed and hummed a little tune. Fiddling with her tiny prize.

She looked at the eye she had taken, smiling softly at it as she sat on the ground, Olivia thrashing and screeching three feet away. "Mmm...Do you think I would look beautiful with blue eyes...?" Mary asked to no one particular, glancing over when that boy knelt beside her, smiling in this odd way at her. That not quiet unsettling way that she found oddly...comforting. It wasn't scary or menacing or at all dangerous. In fact...it was almost kind. "I think your beautiful no matter what color your eyes are." He replied to her, holding out his knife to her, smirking now. "Do you want to put her to sleep now?"

Mary blinked, a slight blush to her cheeks, before she nodded and took the knife from him. Getting to her feet she stalked to Olivia who had managed to crawl a few feet away, "Its okay Olivia...I'm going to set you free now. So no one else has to suffer with trash like you infecting the world. I won't make you live with the pain like you've done me, see? I'm nicer."

"No...NO...NOOOOO-AGH!!" Mary laughed softly as she buried the knife into the other girls chest, pulling it free with a loud, sick sound, splashing blood across her face and clothes. She stopped counting after a dozen stabs, panting softly and slowing to a stop when she was too tired to keep going, she pulled the knife out and sat there on Olivia's lifeless corpse. The girls blood staining the once clean grey dress she wore. Mary laughing softly, a broken sort of laugh that held no joy at all, feeling the tears in her eye that dripped slowly down her face as she gave a broken smile. "Ah, why did you go so soon, Olivia? I was having fun with our little game...Oh..well I guess...I'll be nice and send you dear boyfriend next, hm?"

The raven boy stepped up next to her as she got to her feet, smiling at her, "Having fun?" Mary nodded in reply, her smile almost innocent, curious. The sorrow fading quickly, replaced quickly by sick excitement, "Do we have time for another one? Its not that late yet." He laughed at her enthusiasm as he took his knife back and started walking, she followed him, skipping along at his side. The read head hummed a tune, something akin to 'Mrs. Potato Head'. Olivia's eye still in her left hand, which she lifted to look at as they went, "Going to keep that huh?"

"Yeah, its my new friend. She took mine, so I'll keep hers. Ehehe~ I'll keep them altogether forever~" Mary laughed a bit as they went, stuffing the eye in the small pocket of her dress as they came up to another house. The Nadic house. The residence of Olivia's boyfriend, William. The raven glanced at her, motioning her to follow him, he lead her to the nearest window. Peaking inside, they could see two people on the couch in what seemed to be the living room, their backs to them. They appeared to be watching TV, distracted, perfect. Walking around the house a little, the elder teen pushed open a window and slipped in, helping Mary in, since she was shorter. They made it quietly over to the entrance of the living room, they were in the kitchen.

Once there Mary crouched on the opposite side of the door as the hooded boy, peering into the living room from the kitchen, frowning lightly. Aside from William, one of the other boys that had attacked her was there. One of the ones whose name she didn't know. The red head frowned, ducking back when one of them turned to say something to the other. She was...apprehensive of taking these two out. Olivia hadn't been so bad, she had been alone, but these two were far larger and more muscled than her by a long shot. One of them might be okay for her to handle. It wouldn't be easy, but two? Unconsciously she rubbed at the healing bruises on her arms.

Looking around again, she spotted the knife block on the counter behind her, staying low as she went over to it. Selecting a large knife much like the raven boys, before opening a few drawers, finding a spoon and setting it on the counter with a small smile. Oh, she was going to enjoy this, one way or another. Taking these boys down would be twice as sweet as killing Olivia. Twice the challenge and who doesn't love a bit of a challenge. Mary formed a plan in her head, if she could take just one down, she could manage easier and take her time on both.

She glanced down at the knife in her hands, smirking a bit, that boy was sitting back waiting. In the dark it was hard to tell if he was really smiling or if it was just that scar of a smile turned on his face, but he seemed to be waiting for her to figure this out. The red head tapped the knife loudly on the counter, darted to the other side of the room near him and waited patiently for one or both boys to enter the room. _'If I can take out their legs...'_

Sure enough she heard the two teens in the other room discussing the noise, "I'll go look, sure its nothing." She listened as footsteps grew closer and closer. One of the boys, the one whose name she didn't know, appeared. He peered into the dark, toward where she had made the noise, not noticing her. Just as she had hoped. The red head moved fast, flipping the knife to make it easier, she plunged it into his thigh. The big guy let out a howl, falling to his knees in tears and screaming at the top of his lungs. The red head struggled a little to free the knife, it was caught in the boys ripped jeans.

William rushed in, nearly tripping when he saw Mary, his eyes wide as he struggled to take in the scene. "You fucking psycho bitch! What the hell is wrong with you?!" He shouted, stunned for a moment before he lunged to try and grab the knife from her that she had finally yanked out of his friends leg. The red head gasped, trying to dodge him, but given the small space in the kitchen it proved nearly impossible and for a terrified moment she thought he was going to get the best of her. William grabbed her wrist, holding to it with a bruising grip, the smaller teen letting out a noise of discomfort. Wildly she reached onto the counter for something to help her get free, grabbing the nearest thing, she slammed it into his head.

It turned out to be a ceramic mug, which shattered on the impact, the boy letting go with a surprised yell. Mary was quick to turn on him, reacting purely on the instinct to not end up being the victim again, she plunged the knife into his gut. The boy coughed, his steel gray eyes wide in shock as he looked down at the knife as she yanked it back out, crimson spilling down his chin as she watched him stumble. She panted softly, staggering back a little, "I'm not crazy! I'm not the one who beat a girl up because my girlfriend was jealous!" She screamed at him a he fell to his knees, looking up at her, unable to speak past the blood pouring from his lips tears forming in his eyes.

Mary smiled slowly, "Heh...hehehe...Its...its okay. It hurts right? Like your drowning in the pain...But I...I promise...I'll wipe your life from this world, you don't need to worry about tainting it anymore..." She giggled madly as she came toward him, the light already leaving his eyes as he bled out, his friend screaming and trying to crawl away, trying in vein to get William to do the same. Mary didn't even notice the raven boy in the hoodie blocking the guys path. She pulled Olivia's eye from her pocket, dangling it by the veins still clinging to it in front of William's face, smiling in a way that spoke of darkness set deep in her heart. "See? Its okay, I'll send you to her. You can both rot in hell together, where you belong." Setting the knife down, she picked up the spoon in her blood coated fingers, almost gently taking his face. He didn't even fight her, his eyes fixated on the empty hole in her face where her hair had moved out of the way in the scuffle, he looked like he was resigned at this point.

It didn't take her long to dig the eye from him, pushing him aside afterward and letting him just bleed out on the floor, before turning to the other one. The boy in the white hood was kicking the guy in his injured leg, laughing as he did. Mary watched him a moment, playing with the new eye she had, "I want his eye, but your welcome to have some fun with him first." The raven lifted his eyes to her, smiling wide and licking his lips in a way that might have freaked most people out. He didn't need anymore coaxing than that, gladly lifting his knife which gleamed in the light spilling in still from the living room. "Time for you to GO TO SLEEP!!" He yelled the last part, pinning the guy down and tearing him apart little by little, taking his time. While he did, Mary looked around on the counter for something to put her new toys in, spotting a fairly good sized jar full of sea shells in the window seal above the sink, she poured out its contents and put them in, smiling a bit and turning back around.

The red head stood back and watched, lifting herself up on the counter to sit. For while she was transfixed on the raven boy violently tearing William's friend to ribbons, carving a smile into his cheeks. The pool of blood on the floor growing slowly, glittering like melted rubies. "Such a pretty color to smell so bad..." She pouted as he stomach churned a little, scrunching up her nose, it reminded her too much of the day she lost her eye. That smell was so strong she could nearly taste it, as if someone had sprayed copper scented freshener in the room. Mary turned her gaze to the jar in her hands, humming softly again an eerie little tune, smiling faintly. She didn't look up again until the hooded boy stood up, watching him lick the blood from his palms a bit, smirking. His wide blue eyes glittering, "We should do this more often, this is the most fun I've had in a while."

Mary giggled a little, "I've never really hung out with anyone before. But, your right, this is fun." Picking up the spoon again and retrieving the third eye, she left the spoon lodged in the guys eye socket. "We should get you back. I'm sure they've noticed your gone by now." She looked up at him then, titling her head lightly, frowning a bit as she followed him back out the window. "So? Surely no one will mind..."

He chuckled a bit, "Oh, yeah. They'll be upset, especially that face fucked freak that owns the place." The replied as they walked through the woods away from town, toward the cemetery deep within. "Ah...do you mean Eyeless Jack...?" Mary questioned in confusion, recalling the masked boy had mentioned he did not in fact own the place, just lived there off and on.

The raven laughed at her, the sound echoing in the dark, but he didn't seem worried. "No, but he's not much better. I take you haven't met him yet. I'm sure you will soon enough." Silence fell awhile and Mary said nothing else, deciding to let it be. He wasn't exactly one for answering her anyway, so far everything was pretty cryptic.

At the grave yard they paused near Liu's grave, he had his hands in his pockets, his expression contemplating. "Soo...I'll see you tomorrow? I'll be at the park, if you want to finish what you started." He said almost...was he being shy? He rubbed the back of his head, shifting from one foot to the other, frowning beyond that forced smile. Mary smiled softly and nodded, "I'd like that." She replied, lingering a moment more before turning to go, hesitating a moment. She looked over her shoulder, watching him leaving, biting her lip a bit. "I...I wanted to thank you."

He stopped, turning around with a raised brow, "Its just that...I would have probably died out here the other day. If you hadn't brought me to the cemetery...And...I'm glad you did. I wanted to die that day, honestly. But I'm glad now I didn't. This was...this has been the best day I can remembering having in a long time." She explained, looking at her feet, hugging the jar of eyes close. Long strands of crimson falling over her shoulders in small waves, "So...Thank you, for saving me. And helping me get revenge." The smaller teen blushed deeply, before turning and rushing off, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

He stood there a while longer, a smile tugging at his lips and widening the scars, a little chuckle leaving him. He pretended her blush didn't effect him or the fact she planed to meet him again, but he was actually really happy he had saved her, even if she was around that goody nut brother of his.

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It was nearly morning when she wandered into the clearing of that house, a jar in her hand with three eyes in it, her souvenirs. Her 'new' friends. Mary was contemplating asking Jason if he had any solution to put in the jar to preserve them, something told her he would be the one to ask. The red head paused in the yard, staring at the jar in her bloodied hands, would Liu hate her? She didn't need to wait to find out as the front door opened, lifting her one eye to see the brunette coming outside, his green eyes taking in the sight of her. Liu had this look of horror on his face that was quickly morphing into rage. Behind him she noticed L.J and E.J watching, the clown man smiled a little at her, but the look in his eyes was a bit sad. Almost...knowing. As if he had expected this to happen and it somehow was painful. The red head felt her heart give a nervous crash against her ribs, her face paling considerably as Liu stalked toward her, hands curled into fists at his sides.

"What...the hell have you done?!" Liu shouted at her, startling her with his loudness, the way he seemed ready to attack her suddenly. And for the first time since meeting him she was actually, really and truly, terrified of him. The red head shook softly, clutching the jar to her and taking a step back, stammering to try and form a reply. "I told you not to end up like them! So why?! Why would you do this?!"

Mary flinched again, this time because Liu was right in front of her, grabbing her shoulders in a bruising grip. She grit her teeth, squeezing her one eyes shot against the tears escaping down her face, staining one side red. "Because I...I was...Because I hate them! I hate them so much I wanted to see them suffer! They did this to me and no one even cared! No one did anything about it and I wanted them to be punished!"

"Two wrongs  don't make a right!" He shoved her roughly and she stumbled, almost dropping her jar as she nearly missed falling down altogether, her single eye flaring with a fire she didn't know she had. "Neither is a wrong that's never righted!" Mary screamed back at him, gripping her jar so tight it seemed like it might break. They stared each other down, glaring until Liu just looked away, cursing and walking off into the trees. Mary glared at the ground, sniffling softly as she sank down to her knees, hugging that stupid jar. _'He hates me! I've lost my friend...'_ Her heart gave a painful lurch, feeling like it might crash into her stomach on its way to the ground.

"Don't let him get to you kiddo, he's just a little convicted is all. He'll come to his senses soon, come inside and clean up." Laughing Jack said calmly, putting his clawed hand on her back as he helped her up. E.J followed them up the stairs once they were inside and Mary distinctly heard the little laugh he let out, "So, how was your first time? Felt good, right?"

Mary looked over her shoulder, between herself and L.J at the masked boy following close behind, smiling weakly, "It was, yeah. I had help though, at least with the first one." The two guys looked at each other, L.J frowned, "Who helped you...?" He asked her hesitantly, watching her face.

The red head shrugged, looking down at the jar in her hands, the fringe of her hair hiding her features. "I don't know his name. He won't tell me...He said I should ask his brother. But that I shouldn't tell his brother I know him." She lifted her eye to L.J on her right, "Does...Does Liu have a brother?" The clown heaved a deep breath, mumbling something along the lines of 'oh shit'. She narrowed her eye, "You know who it is don't you?"

"We both do...I can't say he's any worse than the rest of us. But, you should be careful around him." E.J replied instead, shrugging his shoulders as they stopped outside the bathroom. Mary looked between them, "I don't know...He was the one who found me in the woods and left me for Liu to find in the Cemetery. I don't think he's going to hurt me."

"Maybe, maybe not. He's a weird guy. One second he's fine and the next he goes off the deep end. Anyway, clean up kiddo, we'll talk in the living room when your done." They started away, but the red head stopped them, "Laughing Jack?"

"Hm?"

"Do you have something I can put in the jar? I...I don't want my new friends to rot away."

The clown smirked at her, reaching out his long arm and taking the jar from her hands, "Yeah, I got just the thing." He took it with him and she went in to clean up, washing the blood from her hands and face. Before going to her room to change, finding a simple black, long sleeve shirt to change into with some clean shorts.

Downstairs she found the two Jack's in the living room waiting for her, sitting by the empty fireplace in the comfortable chairs. Sitting down herself, she got comfortable in the chair, stifling a tired yawn as L.J handed her the now clean jar filled half way with a clear liquid. The eyeballs bobbing about like macabre apples. Mumbling a thank you, she held the jar close, feeling much like a cat who got the canary. "Will you tell me why they don't get along?" She mumbled softly, starting to fall asleep, someone spoke, but she never caught it. The only sound that reached her sounded like static from a T.V, but twice as loud, as if it was in her ear or right by her head.

Lifting her head, she frowned deeply, looking over at E.J on her left. He was turned around in his chair so that he was sitting on his knees, leaning on his arms on the back of it. "What is it?" She asked, but her voice was drowned out by the static that only seemed to grow louder in her ears, making her wince painfully. "ARGH-Why's it so loud in here?!" She couldn't even hear herself shouting. Turning to her right, she saw L.J., his mouth was moving. The raven was talking to her, but she couldn't hear him. He was looking at her in worry, seeming to be saying something urgently to her, but it was muffled. "What?! I can't hear you!"

Mary put her hands to her ears, begging the sound to cease as she began to cry from the headache it was causing. The red haired teen got to her feet, her jar of eyes tumbling to the floor and rolling away, but she was more concerned with the source of the sound assaulting her. "Make it stop!" She cried out as she pressed her hands more tightly to her ears, digging her nails into her skin, praying the pain would help, this sound made her want to claw her ears off! Wildly, she turned her single green eye to look around the room, trying to find the source. Mary saw E.J half turned back around to her, one hand reached out toward her. Laughing Jack was on his feet, both hands up, his mouth still moving. But she still couldn't hear the sound of his voice. Behind them she spotted three other boys, all of them seemed to be wearing masks, one a half mask and yellow goggles, they stood just inside the foyer.

And from the open front door a large shadow appeared, casting itself across the old wood flooring. Mary's heart began to race a violent rhythm as she took a step back, watching in terror as the tall, slender creature stepped into sight. At least seven foot, dressed in a black suit, his head all white. No mouth or ears or...eyes. _'No eyes. Always watching.'_ The words flashed through her mind, screamed in her head over the static, was this the thing those kids at school were scared of? The creature that ate anyone it caught?!  The teen whimpered, taking a step back as it moved toward her, its head tilted slightly with its hand outstretched.

She stumbled over the jar she had dropped, tripping backward and falling to the floor, the red head stared up at it in terror. The sound growing deafening in her ears....until...nothing. Nothing at all, everything was silent, Mary's hands slipped a little and came to rest on her tear streaked face. Everything seemed blurry, but it was quiet...almost peaceful. She couldn't really see the face in front of her, it was just pale and white and then...there was nothing.

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"Oh dear, is the kiddo going to be alright? You gave her quiet the scare." Laughing Jack asked, concern lacing his voice as he stood from his seat, not sure what to do. Eyeless Jack looked annoyed, well his body language seemed that way and his next words proved as much. "Seriously, can't you guys turn that off? You knew she would be here and she has no clue about any of this. She'll be sensitive to that crap for awhile!"

The three across the room looked between each other, the one in the white mask with the black lips painted on it tilting his head, eyes nearly hidden in the dark sockets of his plastic covering. "Clearly she knows more than Liu let on, look at what she already did." The one in the hood nodded, "Yes...shes a liar."

"Y-Yeah! We just-just found her mess in town! Makes you look almost tame Laughing Jack!" The last one agreed with the other two, nodding slowly and crossing his arms over his chest. "I seriously doubt it was that bad...Besides, she's just, well, just a miserable little thing. And I can't blame her, look what they did to her!" L.J defended the young girl, he knew she had taken some revenge on the teens who had attacked her, but the extent of it was unknown. He could really only guess. But he felt they must have deserved what ever punishment she had dealt them.

"Either way. It would seem labeling her as a guest won't be necessary any longer, after this, she really won't be able to return to that world." A deep, smooth voice sighed and all the occupants turned to look at the tall creature placing the red headed girl in question on the couch. "I am sure Liu must have been very disappointed, after all the trouble he went through to shield her from the majority of us. Most of us even left the house to give her time. But it seems it didn't matter in the end." The creature made a semi-amused sound, turning his faceless head toward Laughing Jack, "I suppose you won the bet then Laughing Jack."

Laughing Jack frowned, crossing his long arms over his thin frame, "I told Liu it wouldn't do him any good the night he brought her in. She sat and told me some of what happened. I could see it in her eyes, all she needed was just a little more push and it would have happened either way." The clown pointed out, Eyeless Jack tilted his head, "You think she was pushed then?"

L.J nodded moving to lean against the wall near the hearth, facing everyone in the room easily there, "Think about it. She seemed to be adjusting okay day before yesterday, Jason said he saw her and she seemed fine. Normal, he even scared her. But then he said she left his gift in her room and left yesterday evening acting oddly. And then tonight, she comes home with her little jar of new 'friends' and asks E.J and I wither Liu has a brother."

"You don't seriously think its him?" Asked one of the three across the room, the one who wore a brown jacket and white mask. The one beside him in the yellow hoodie and black mask with red frowning face shook his head, waving his hand dismissively, "Yeah, what could he possibly want with some girl? She's hardly interesting."

"I-I don't know. She's kind of-of cute, don't you-you think?" Asked the third, the boy with goggles and brown hair that twitched every once and awhile, "He might be planning to kill her." E.J concluded, but shook his head in the end, "But, it seems unlikely he would be if he helped her kill someone in the first place. Helping your victim learn to kill is stupid, even for him."

"I assume your referring to Jeffery, am I correct, Laughing Jack?" The tall man with no face questioned, moving to sit by the empty fireplace, crossing his knees in a relaxed form, his hands folded in his lap. L.J nodded in affirmation, "Yes. She told E.J and I someone helped her with the first murder. That he wouldn't tell her his name, she needed to ask his brother, but not tell him that she had seen the guy. Only one person I know in this house has a brother."

The faceless man nodded in agreement, "Yes, it would make since that it was Jeffery. But, I must agree with Tim and Brian, why the sudden interest I wonder? Jeffery has always worked solo and seldom visits the house anymore for the same reason, he's not fond of being around others. And his presence is nearly non-existent not that Liu lives here full time." The room was quiet, everyone seeming to muse over the reason, "It could be that he feels a connection with her, given the circumstances of how she lost her eye. You said before it was bullies? Jeffery went through something much the same."

"Maybe...but that would be implying he knows about the bullying which means he would have had to have been following her around. Liu didn't even know about it till he found her, she never talked about it to him."

"Does any of it really matter? So what if she ends up a serial killer, aren't we all the same here? Liu's self-righteous ass excluded." The boy in the yellow hoodie asked, Brian shoved his hands in his pockets, turning to go upstairs. The brunette in the mask turned to follow, "All I can say is I feel sorry for her, if there's any sanity left under that mess of red hair it won't last in this house." L.J looked indignant, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Eyeless Jack snorted behind his blue mask, laughing a bit, "Come on L.J, face it. This is a fucking mad house, no sane person would survive here." The clown pouted a bit, moving to sit on the steps in the little lowered area of the living room, his arms folded over his knees. "It could be-be worse! At least she-she's here and not in-in town! Th-they'd put her in the n-nut house!"

"Yeah, didn't she mention her family didn't believe her about those kids that did it? If she had gone back they probably would have locked her up." E.J pointed out, stretching as he headed upstairs himself, the last boy in the room close behind him, softly striking up a conversation about what he had seen in town. It was quiet for awhile, Laughing Jack sitting there, watching Mary sleeping. The tall being in the suit saying nothing for awhile, before turning his head to the clown, presumably looking at him, "Your worried for her." It wasn't a question, more like an observation, "Its not like you to care."

"She's just a kid, probably younger than anyone here, even Jeff and Liu. I just think its a shame." Laughing Jack replied softly, sighing a bit, looking like a 'sad clown' indeed as he ruffled his messy hair. The faceless man made an amused noise, "Coming from a creature who targets children specifically, that's rather an odd thing to say."

"I've not done that in a long time...and you know that. So, tell me, oh great Slenderman...Why the sudden change from guest? We don't know for sure she'll even want to stay here."

Slenderman stood, moving to head outside, "Oh, I don't think she'll leave. I have a feeling this might be her only option."

"Where are you going?!" L.J called, getting up and heading to the door, watching the creature crossing the yard. "I'll be back in a few hours." He waved as he vanished into the trees, as if he had never been there at all. Laughing Jack sighed and shut the door, running long black fingers through his wild black strands, glancing into the living room at Mary once more. He was only half surprised to see someone had moved her jar of eyes onto the coffee table in front of the couch, the shock wore off when he spotted her rabbit sitting next to it. Shaking his head knowingly, he went upstairs to go to bed, like everyone else.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Behold, I drew another terrible picture. ^w^ Hoped you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you again for continue to read this story everyone!


	4. Don't drown...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> {NSFW Again. Sorry guys, I know its been a lot of violence in a short amount of time. I promise it'll get better >w<} Also, the second half of the chapter is in Jeff's 'POV' sort of. Thank you guys in advance for putting up with me and reading this!

Mary slept until the next evening, yawning softly and stretching, she felt better. But her head still hurt a bit when she sat up, making her flinch, rubbing her temple. Blinking her single eye, she looked around to see that she was alone, but for her rabbit on the coffee table and her jar. A small smile turned at her lips as she reached out for the stuffed animal and picked it up, hugging it close, "Hello Mr. Cogston, I missed you. Heh~ Were you waiting long?" The teen mumbled softly as she got to her feet, grabbing her jar and taking both upstairs to the room she had been occupying. 

She settled the jar on her night stand and Cogston on her bed once more, only half curious about who had brought him downstairs in the first place. Satisfied, Mary turned to her dresser, checking through and finding something to wear. A simple white shirt with frills on the sleeves and a black dress to go over it that had a white butterfly on the side. Idly it crossed her mind that she should ask at some point who picked the clothes that she found, they were rather cute and oddly always in her size. Changing quickly, she smiled softly, glancing to the window to see it was almost dark beyond the boarded up glass. Bidding her stuffed bunny farewell, the red head darted out of her room and softly padded downstairs. She still had no shoes, but she wasn't intending to complain about it. _'Maybe I can sneak into my house and get mine...'_

Reaching the front door she went to open it, but paused when she heard an odd noise, like running water. Frowning a bit, she looked around for the source, starting in the kitchen. But she didn't see anyone, so she moved to go back across the foyer to check the living room, only to come face to face with a set of glowing red eyes surrounded by pools of black. Gasping in shock, the red head stepped back, taking in the sight of a teenage boy about her own age. He had short blonde hair and wore an oddly familiar green outfit with brown belts and boots and a large green hat. Aside from his startling eyes, the most unrealistic thing about him was the fact he appeared to be floating...in mid-air as if he was underwater! The image of him seemed to 'glitch' every now and again as if she was looking at a computer image.

He smiled at her, glitching around the edges when he did, "If your thinking of leaving, you can't. I was told to keep an eye on you. So how about we play a game?" He asked, tilting his head a bit to one side, 'drifting' toward her. This unsettling fearing forming a knot in her gut at the mention of games, something about the way he said that made her think the kind of game her wanted to play wouldn't be one she would like. Mary shook her head, her heart hammering, "No, thank you. Wh-who are you?"

"BEN. And your name is Mary, right?"

She nodded, smiling a little, "Um, nice to meet you BEN, but I'm going to go to the park for a bit so..." She moved to walk past him, but he appeared before her again, hands up and waving them slightly. "Sorry, but like I said, I'm supposed to keep an eye on you." BEN smiled, tilting his head a bit, waiting for her to say something it seemed. That or he was staring.

Mary narrowed her eyes, glancing past him to the front door, she had told that raven boy she would meet him today. She really didn't want to leave him hanging and she was actually excited to meet him again, last night had been fun, hanging out with another person. It felt almost...normal. Like she had a real friend to hang out with, even if it was because they were murdering people. "So...Can't you just come along? Its only to the park, you can keep an eye on me there, can't you?" She wondered why he needed to keep an eye on her in the first place, she wasn't a child. Something told her it had something to do with yesterday, but she couldn't prove that. The blonde rubbed the back of his neck, "Well...I mean, I can't really be seen..." His red eyes turned toward the living room, a bright smile lighting his face which glitched yet again. She followed him curiously as he drifted into that room, watching him snatch something off the coffee table and hold it up, "But I can go in this! Here, E.J won't even notice its gone!"

Mary took the cellphone BEN had found, raising a brow in question, she opened her mouth to ask how the phone could possibly help. When suddenly he seemed to be sucked into it! The small device shooting off little sparks for a moment, before BEN's voice came out of it in an eerie disconnected way. "Alright! Lets go!" Her single green eye was wide as she looked on the smartphones screen, seeing a very small version of BEN on it, looking far too excited. "Well, what are you waiting for? Lets go before the boss notices!" 

The red head shook her head and stepped outside, making her way across the yard to the trees, clutching the cellphone. She glanced at the afternoon sky, contemplating how to get rid of BEN, somehow she didn't trust him. "Who told you you had to keep an eye on me?" Mary asked, the phone held beside her sparked, BEN appearing out of it and floating along beside her. "Special request from the boss."

"The boss...?"

"Yup, y'know, really tall. No face. Sorta creepy."

Mary shudder, coming to a stop and staring at the blonde who floated a bit farther before turning to look at her, smirking at the look on her face. She had gone deathly pale, her eye wide with fear, "Th-that creature I saw was...real?"

"Haha~ Oh yeah! Masky was telling me you fainted yesterday when you saw him, right?" He laughed at her, grinning wide, "He owns that house. He lets all of us live there so long as we follow his rules."

Mary looked at BEN warily as she started walking again, clutching the phone tightly in her fist, "What are his rules?"

BEN thought it over a moment, "Lets see...No one can bring humans to the house. No killing in the house. Clean up after ourselves. Don't let the towns people follow us to the house unless we intend to kill them. Y'know, normal stuff."

The red head frowned at the ghost, "Liu brought me there...Does that mean he's in trouble?" The blonde shook his head, chuckling a little, but his smile was reassuring. "Nah, your considered an exception." Mary tilted her head in confusion, "An exception? Why's that? I'm human. Wait...isn't Liu human?" The red head stopped, trying to wrap her head around it, seeing as she hadn't really considered the idea some of the occupants of the house weren't in fact human. She had even assumed L.J was human...just really tall or something. The blonde before her obviously wasn't human. BEN was laughing at her again, "What?" She pouted at him, crossing her arms as he settle down.

"Sorry, sorry! Your just a really weird person is all! Jeez, yes Liu is human, technically. The others, Masky, Hoodie, and Toby are too." When she again made an odd face he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Right, you fainted yesterday. Uh, they are some of the others in the house, you'll meet them soon enough. Just so you know though, Masky can be a real asshole. Toby's pretty cool though and Hoodie is real quiet."

Mary started walking again, pondering over it all, "Okay, so then that means You, E.J, L.J, and Jason aren't human? Then what are you?" BEN shrugged at the question, "I can't speak for the others, but I think I'm some sort of ghost or something. I never really stopped to figure that out."

As they grew closer to the edge of the forest BEN went back inside the phone, "Listen, just so you know, you should probably be careful not to be seen by anyone." Mary didn't stop walking as she came to one of the sidewalks that winded through the town, they were in a small neighborhood near her house. "I kind of figured...I don't want to be found either way."

She heard a small chuckle from the phone, "What? Don't wanna see your family or friends again?" It was silent awhile, so long it was almost awkward, BEN said nothing as Mary began taking the long route to the park. Avoiding her house. "I didn't have any friends..." Silence reigned again for a long time as Mary made her way through the quiet streets of the small town, the nice thing about the place being so remote was that almost no one was out and about much of the time, so there was little chance to be spotted. Especially on a cloudy evening like this one.

"So, do you always run around with no shoes?"

The red head blinked and looked down at her feet, frowning a bit as she blushed lightly in embarrassment. "Well...No, not usually, but I don't have any shoes right now...I sorta...ran away from the hospital." BEN chuckled, "You mean the loony bin or the actual hospital?"

"If this phone didn't belong to Eyeless Jack I would throw it." She grumbled, glaring ahead now. "Haha! Won't do you much good, I can just leave the phone." He replied and she smirked devilishly, "Not if I leave it sitting on a shelf in a 24 hour market."

"You wouldn't dare..."

"Try me."

Ahead Mary could see the entrance to the park, speeding up her steps in excitement, she almost forgot for a moment she had intended to ditch BEN somehow. But it was a bit late now, so she just kept going, heart beginning to flutter in nervousness. Nibbling her lip in worry, she looked around the empty place, not seeing but a couple of people walking about, no one seemed to notice her as she walked along one of the concrete paved paths through the larger part of the area. Her single eye scanning around for a white hoodie or a head of cold black hair, but she didn't seem him anywhere. The red head frowned a little, wondering if something had happened...or...

_'Maybe he just changed his mind...Probably can't stand me.'_ Mary thought dejectedly, hanging her head as she moved along, the concrete petering out into a dirt path now, into the trees, wandering aimless through the foliage and away from any people. Finally she came to a stop, standing staring at the ground, her traitorous mind cruelly reminding her how unlikable she was.

_'Liu and Laughing Jack like me...right?'_

**_'Of course they don't! Your just nasty miserable Mary! No one really wants you around!'_ **

"Grip this phone much tighter you might break it." BEN's voice broke into her thoughts and she hummed, loosening her grip a little and sighing, starting to move forward again. But a hand dropped into her shoulder from behind, her body going stiff instantly as she sucked in a sharp, startled sound, hands flying up to her heart that for a second had stopped. She turned to the sound of laughter, her single eye finding a head of long black hair. Relaxing a little, her lips turned up in a small smile. _'He came after all.'_

"Holy shit! You should have seen yourself!" The raven boy laughed, his already wide smile wider as he bent over, holding his stomach. Blue eyes lifted to her as he eventually settled down, still chuckling once and awhile, "Man, you zone out bad, don't you? You should really pay more attention to the world around you, you might get caught other wise."

The red head smiled a bit, cheeks dusted a shade that was just paler than her shoulder length hair, "Sorry, I was thinking about something. I just got a little distracted." Mary replied as the black haired teen before her shook his head, still smiling, "Yeah? Well try not to get distracted when your out in the open like this."

"Heh~ I'll try." 

It was quiet a few minutes, at first comfortable and quickly turning a bit awkward. Jeff rubbed the back of his head a little, "So...uh...Wanna go for a walk? Its too early to do much else and I can't really go into town."

"Cht~ Yeah, you'd give people a heart attack with that face." BEN's voice rang out and Mary froze, face going a bit pale as the raven boy's eyes went wider than they already were, turning to look at the phone she pulled away from herself a little. The red head looked down at BEN smirking at her on the screen, "Not that I really give a shit, but why is Jeff here? For starters. And second, you have some really nice boobs!"

Mary's mouth dropped, her whole face matching her hair for sure now as she gaped at the ghost in the cell. And then the thing was gone, snatched from her fingers by long pale ones. She watched in a mixture of horror and amusement as Jeff, as she now knew his name was, threw the thing into the trees somewhere. A resounding sound of the little glass and plastic thing shattering reaching her ears and making her grimace, "That was Eyeless Jack's phone..." She murmured, wondering how she was going to explain this to him.

Jeff was glaring in the direction of the tossed phone, "Fuck 'em both!" He growled, turning his bright eyes on her, frowning behind that forced smile, "Why the hell did you bring that perverted techno ghost anyway?"

The smaller teen shifted a bit, sighing, "I didn't have much choice. He wouldn't let me leave the house otherwise. Apparently he was ordered to keep an eye on me...I have no idea why." She replied, rubbing the back of her neck, hearing BEN shouting angrily in the distance. Jeff took her hand, leading her quickly into the trees away from the destroyed phone. "Come on, before he recovers!" Jeff mumbled in an annoyed tone, glaring ahead. Mary struggled a little to keep up with him, watching her steps as they dodged over falling logs and roots, not wanting to twist an ankle or cut up her feet on sharp rocks.

It was awhile before he at last slowed down, coming to a halt in a small clearing. The red had panted a little, leaning over a little to catch her breath. Mary looked up at his back, after a moment, "You know why...their watching me. Don't you?" She asked softly, watching him turn his head slightly as he let her hand go finally, she tried to ignore the strange feeling of absence it left her.  The teen wasn't even certain how she knew that Jeff knew something, it was like a nagging feeling. There was something going on here, she could feel it.

Jeff didn't say anything for a few minutes, though he did move around a little, almost like he was nervous about something. Her single eye following him, waiting patiently for an answer. And eventually he gave her one, "Yeah, I do. At least, I'm pretty damned sure I do anyway." He started, turning to face her a moment, before reaching into his pocket and fishing something out. She was surprised to see it was a bottle of eye drops. Up till then she hadn't actually notice the fact he didn't appear to be able to blink very well or rather at all she realized. Her stomach twisted a little as she wondered how the hell he had lost his eye lids, that could not be easy to deal with. "They don't want you hanging around with me no doubt. Rather Liu doesn't or wouldn't."

Mary frowned, her arms crossed loosely around her middle, her hands gripping her elbows a little. Liu's words from the other day filtered into her mind, "Because he thinks your a monster, right?" Jeff paused in his movements, turning his head slightly, before finishing what he was doing and putting the bottle back. "Something like that. He's got a nasty split personality...I'll leave it at that." The raven smiled, a sarcastic sort of look, "Bet he was pissed when you came back yesterday, huh?"

She nodded slowly, looking at the ground, "Yes. We got into a fight over it and he stormed off afterward. I don't think he came back last night..." The smaller teen mumbled sadly, "I don't like the idea that I upset him....But I..."

"He'll get over it, trust me. Self-righteous little ass." Jeff mumbled the last bit, hands on his hips, glaring a little into the trees. "Self-righteous or not, Liu is still my friend. At least I hope he is...I've never exactly had friends." Mary hugged herself tightly, that sensation of loneliness was nearly overwhelming, "I don't want to lose what few friends I do have."

Jeff's sneakers came into her line of sight as he approached her, stopping in front of her, she felt a warm hand lay itself on her head. "Like I said, he'll get over it. I may not see eye to eye with him anymore, but I know my little brother well enough to know he'll forgive you eventually."

Mary lifted her head a bit to look up at Jeff, feeling rather short now that he was standing so close to her. The red head barely reached his shoulders. Blushing a little, she smiled at him, "I hope your right." When he smiled and motioned his head, she followed him again as he lead the way at a calm pace through the trees. It was still fairly early in the day, perhaps five or so in the evening, the air was chilly and sky painted with dark clouds, but it wasn't unpleasant. Eventually though the silence began weighing on Mary's nerves and she cleared her throat, turning her eyes up to Jeff, who glanced down at the sound. "So...E.J said a lot of people come and go from the house, does that include you?"

The raven shrugged, hands in the pockets of his jeans, "I used to. But I've not really been coming around much with Liu there." He replied with a dark sort of expression on his face, staring ahead of them as they walked along. Mary worried her lower lip a little, looking down a moment. "Why...don't you two get along exactly? Is it more than you just killing people?" The red head peaked up at him through her lashes curiously, his face had darkened even more.

"Yeah...Sort of a long story. Maybe I'll tell you another time."

The smaller teen nodded, leaving it alone, though she remained just as curious. Was it really so bad? "I actually have a place of my own now, in town." He went on after a few minutes, smiling a bit, clearly trying to ease whatever tension had taken hold of the conversation. Mary smiled back, humming a bit, "Oh? How do you manage that...? I mean...it can't be very easy." The red head blushed a little, hoping he didn't take any offense, she had been thinking about how he must look to others. He wasn't per-say an easy sight for normal people she was sure.

He grinned that somewhat eerie grin of his, "Yeah, it wasn't at first...You'd be shocked how far you can get with a scarf and some sunglasses though." The shorter of them laughed a little into her hand, nodding, "That makes scene." She smiled a bit as she looked at the woods around them that they passed, "I doubt I'll really be able to get away with that anytime soon." Mary mused allowed a little sadly, it wasn't that she missed the idea of being around people or going into town, it was just that it felt even lonelier knowing she couldn't do it in general.

"What? You mean go into town?" The raven asked her, tilting his head a bit, watching her. The red head didn't answer him, just looked ahead blankly. It was as if she had shut down whatever emotion that thought had brought on. It was a familiar thing to Jeff, he had done such things back before he had ended up this way, sometimes still did. "Its not so bad, y'know." He said quietly, looking up at the clouded sky a moment, "People like us...We don't fit in with them anyway. No matter how hard we ever tried to, they just won't ever accept us."

Mary shook her head, "Its not that I care about fitting in exactly...or being around them. I don't have anything to really attach me to that world, I haven't in a very long time." The red head stopped walking, her arms hanging loosely at her sides now. "I think...I think its simply the fact that I don't have a reason to go back that hurts the most."

Jeff turned toward her, tilting his head slightly, long black strands falling over his shoulders. "You don't have to feel that way. You...you can have something to attach you to **_this_** world. I mean...if you want there to be...that is..." The raven's face heated slightly as he stumbled over the words, feeling nervous and ridiculous trying to get the words out. And his face only grew warmer when Mary lifted her face, her single, brilliant eye watching him in question. "What are you trying to say?" She asked in a gentle, coaxing tone. The way she said it almost eased the nervousness swirling like angry bats in his stomach, "I guess I'm saying...erm...you have me." Jeff said at last, his face a very obvious red now, the color a heavy contrast to the paleness of his skin. Blue eyes looked off to the side, "If anything else, you can always turn to me if you need to. Alright?" The older teen cleared his throat, giving her an awkward smile, "Anyway, it getting dark, we should get moving if you want to have any fun tonight."

Mary smiled softly, nodding as she followed him, trying to ignore the racing of her heart. How can someone so crazy be so nice? Then again she was starting to think she wasn't quiet sane so she had no room to talk about anyone being crazy. 

* * *

 

Mary and Jeff soon found themselves outside the house of their next victim. One of the boys whose name she didn't know that had aided Olivia. She was sure it was the right house only because she had spotted the guy on his way inside when she and the raven beside her had exited the woods near by. The red head was crouched beneath a window, leaning back on the wall, calmly listening to her soon to be victim talking to his mother, something about school. She hadn't caught the beginning of the conversation, but it seemed like the guys mother was pissed he was late coming home.

"For fucks sake mom! I was only an hour past! Its no big deal!" The boy yelled at his mother. There was a sound like a gasp, "Brandon! Watch your mouth! I have every reason to worry about you! Look what happened to your friends! It was all over the news!"

Something sounded like glass shattering, "Stop reminding me! Dammit I already know! It was only yesterday! Fuck it, I'm going to bed!" The sounds of stomping moved about the house and grew faint, a door slammed. Brandon's mother mumbled to herself about 'teenagers being foolish and dangerous' followed by what Mary assumed was the woman turning on the sink. 

The red head glanced over at Jeff beside her, "How do we want to do this...?" She murmured in a soft voice, not wanting the woman inside to hear them through the slightly open window above. The raven smirked, "I could take the mother. That'll leave you to take the little fucker upstairs." The younger of the pair frowned a little, she had nothing against the guys mother, she didn't really know her. But it made since to let Jeff do what he wanted, it did make things simpler, though she felt a little bad for the woman. Finally she nodded, "Lead the way then." 

Jeff moved around the small place, it was a single story, low to the ground. An old house. Locating a window a fair ways from the kitchen he worked it open, using his knife to get under the edge and pry it up. As quiet as he could he pushed it up all the way, before turning to look at Mary, smirking that devilish smile again as he helped her climb in first. Once they were both inside he motioned her toward the direction of the kitchen, the excitement in his bright blue eyes easy to see. And for some reason it brought a smile to her face. A normal person might have cringed at the thought that their friend was happy because they were going to commit murder, brutal and terrible murder at that. There really was a screw loose in her damned brain if she thought it was cute that he was so happy right then. 

She started to stir toward the hallway, assuming it was where Brandon had gone, but a hand on her arm stopped her. Frowning, she met Jeff's eyes. He shook his head, smirking a little and waving his knife in front of her. As if to say 'Forgetting something?'. If they hadn't been trying to be quiet she might have giggled, as it was she smiled sheepishly, face a little pink. Walking with him into the bright kitchen, she spotted Brandon's mother. She was a tallish woman with stern features and bleached blonde hair, wearing a dress that looked far too tight to be comfortable and an apron. So far she hadn't noticed them, being as quiet as they were. 

The smile on Jeff's face stretched that much wider as he moved toward her, his blue eyes practically glowing with joy and blood lust. Mary smiled a little more, watching him sneak up on the woman, for a moment she was distracted watching him, curious yet again to watch the way he liked to do things. Yesterday had been...surreal. Much like now. Like she was watching all this from someone else's body and not her own, fascinated as the woman screamed, finally seeing the raven man. "Its time for you to GO TO SLEEP!" He shouted, lunging at her, knife at the ready as he tackled the smaller person down easily to the floor, pinning her with his weight.

Mary didn't pull her eyes away, even when Brandon came rushing down the hall and into the room, eyes wide and horrified. No doubt drawn there by the screaming. "MOM!?" He moved to rush at Jeff, who was already carving a smile into the sobbing woman's face, but Mary snapped from her trance like state. "No no! Your supposed to play a game with me, not him." She smiled wide, stepping in his way. Brandon nearly toppled into her, stumbling to a stop, face paling when he recognized her. "Your that Montgomery girl...? W-why are you in my house? Why are you doing this?!" He backed away from her, looking between her and his dying mother, clearly torn between fear and the need to help her.

The red head twitched a little, anger welling up in her hot and heavy, her smile turning sadistic and crazed. "Why...? WHY?! HOW ABOUT FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME!" She screamed at him, reaching up to push her bangs away from her ruined face, showing him the bruised, cut up hole that was still healing. The teen before her looked as if he was about to be sick when he looked at it, "I-I swear, it wasn't my idea! I didn't know what Olivia was planning!"

Mary tilted her head with a grin, feeling strong arms wrap slightly around her, something warm and sticky being pushed into her hand. She need not look down to see it was Jeff's knife. Brandon's mother had long since stopped screaming, the raven was no doubt done with her now. "Oh? So you didn't know you were going to beat me nearly to death? Didn't know you would break my ribs or nearly puncture my lungs?! DON'T LIE! YOU KNEW WHAT YOU WERE DOING! YOU ALL KNEW!"  The red head advanced on the boy who was shaking his head, backing away from her, into the wall near the kitchen doorway. "I never did anything to any of you...I kept to myself like a good girl. Kept my mouth shut when you all bullied me every fucking day. And you...all of you...YOU DID THIS TO ME!" Tears welled up in her eye, bloody pink ones spilling down her left cheek, "My own parents don't believe me...they think I'm crazy! But I'm not crazy..."

Brandon turned and rushed out the door, but the red head was close behind him, her smile wild. "Don't run Brandon! It only hurts more if you run!" She taunted him as she made it out the front door, only vaguely hearing Jeff yell after her.

* * *

 

Jeff was left standing on the porch of the house, cursing softly, she was getting carried away. He was all for a good game of 'Bitch and Killer' but she was going to get caught running through the neighborhood like that. "Fucking hell!" He ran after them, surprised at how fast the small girl was, pausing in the street when he was certain he had lost her. A feeling of panic pooling in his gut, his own heart beating in a frantic way he hadn't felt in many years. Why was he so worried about her? 

_'Cause you were stalking her for weeks and got attached you idiot...'_ His brain shouted for him as he pushed back his messy black hair in frustration, trying to figure out how to find Mary before the police showed up or something. Swallowing, he started running again, looking around as he went. Turning the corner on the next street he stopped, hearing the sounds of sirens in the distance, cursing lividly, "Goddammit! MARY! MARY WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!?" He shouted, turning to the left and rushing past house after house, block after block until his lungs were burning. 

He slowed a bit when he saw flashing lights ahead of him, pulling up his hood to hide his face, though it would do little good if they saw him. His white hoodie was soaked in that woman's blood. Gritting his teeth, he stirred into the shadows, sneaking along the backs of the houses toward the lights, praying to whatever god there was that Mary was not there, that she had already escaped. He was nearly to the scene when something grabbed his sleeve. Letting out a small, shocked noise, he whipped his head around to peer into the shadows at the corner of the house he was near. In the bushes was a small, pale figure, her single green eye wide and clearly frightened. "Holy fucking hell...There you are! The shit were you thinking running off like that?!"

The smaller of the two shook her head, her eye still wide and scared, not really looking up at him. She was still gripping his knife in her other hand, she had fresh blood splashed over her, soaking her here and there. Mary was trembling violently, opening and closing her mouth to speak, but the words didn't seem to want to come out. Jeff could only guess what she was thinking, what had happened. Frowning behind his scared smile, he grabbed her wrist, leading her away quickly. He could hear voices coming toward them.

Not wanting to get caught and have to deal with an even bigger mess, he took Mary as far from the neighborhood as he could manage without going into the woods. 

He wasn't sure how long they had walked before she finally managed to speak, her voice soft and devoid of almost anything, the sound sending an unpleasant chill over him. "Where are we going?...the cemetery is that way..." The older teen shook his head, "Not going that way this time. Just trust me alright?" She didn't answer him, just went along. Jeff turned his eyes toward her, watching her face. Her single green eye was staring down at the ground, dark and listless. Mary looked as if the life had been ripped from her or something. Eventually he slowed to a walk in a dark little apartment complex, the buildings were old and looked a little under repaired, but clearly people lived there. 

Pulling his hood a little lower on his face, he lead her silently to one of the five buildings there, heading up the stairs that were located inside a small open air hallway to the second story. Letting go of her wrist he fished a set of keys from his pocket, opening the door to apartment 703 and motioning her inside, shutting the door once they were both in the safety of the small, dingy place. For a few minutes he stood by the door, jaw tight, wondering what the hell he was thinking bringing her there of all places. He knew he should have just taken her back to that house, no doubt someone would come looking once BEN spilled the beans it was Jeff she was hanging around with. And things would only be worse if she didn't go back tonight.

It was a little late to worry now, however. Sighing, he ran a hand through his tangled hair, rubbing his face a bit. Turning around he spotted her standing in the middle of the small two room apartment, looking about herself, her expression screaming how out of place she felt there. No doubt cause the place was a fucking mess, he hadn't taken the time to pick up in awhile. He had been living there over a year now and the place was still strewn with unpacked boxes. Clothes tossed about, dirty dishes still in the sink. "Uh...You can sit down if you want."

Mary looked over her shoulder at him before glancing down at her bloodied clothes, a deep frown marring her lips, "I don't want to bleed on anything..." She mumbled, the comment making him raise a single brow, what the hell was she talking about? She wasn't...FUCK! Upon a closer look he noticed she was in fact bleeding. Sticky red trickled steadily from a gash on her left leg and arm as well, dripping onto the floor and already forming a tiny pool on the hardwood at her feet. It bothered him a little how calm she was about it, shouldn't she be freaking out? Even a little?!

Gritting his teeth he walked over to her, jerking the knife from her hand and tossing it, well throwing was closer to the point, into the kitchen where it landed with a clattering sound that echoed loudly in the small room. The red head flinched at his actions, something flashing in her eyes when he grabbed her arm and lead her into another room, the bathroom, "Sit down, now! I'll get the first aid." He growled in something akin to annoyance, letting her go and bending down to dig around under the sink, finding the kit he always kept. He may not mind pain, but he was far from stupid enough not to keep the thing for emergencies. 

Mary sat on the closed toilet seat, hunched over a little as she gripped her arms, hugging herself. Th smaller teen was shaking again. Looking almost as scared as she had when she had been hiding in the shadows earlier. Jeff frowned at her, glancing out of the corner of his lidless eyes at her, "Wanna tell me what the fuck happened?" 

The red head glanced up at him as he walked over, sitting cross legged on the ground beside her in order to get to the cut on her thigh, pulling out cotton balls and antiseptic to clean it up. It wasn't as deep as it had looked at first, but still pretty nasty. "I...I chased him into someones yard and he caught me off guard....Managed to take the knife from me for a while." She supplied at last, looking off to the side angrily, "I-I got it back, but it was too late to do anything really. I'm pretty sure I didn't kill him. The people in that house called the cops and came outside yelling and I panicked."

The raven sighed, one corner of his mouth up turned into a sarcastic smile, "That's what you get for chasing him after him in the middle of a neighborhood like that." Mary turned on him then, green eye flaring with fire, "WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO? LET THE BASTARD GO?!"

Jeff didn't appear phased by her anger, just rolled his eyes at her, "Chill out Razorblade, this place has thin walls and I don't feel like cleaning up another of my neighbors bodies cause you blew your top." The red head blinked at him, face falling a little in her surprise, confusion and something he didn't recognize coloring her features. "...Razorblade?

The raven's eyes widened a little more than normal as he realized he had called her the little nickname he had made up in his head weeks ago, when he had seen her attack those boys in the cemetery. His pale cheeks warmed and he cleared his throat, "Yeah, well, its better than Miserable..." He smarted off in irritation, glancing up at her after a moment to find she was smiling at him with pink staining her cheeks. For a moment he was frozen, his hands pausing in what they were doing, staring at her in wonder. What was that look in her eyes? He hadn't seen it before, even when he had watched her over the past weeks. Briefly he wondered it it would freak her out knowing he had been stalking her for a little over three weeks, something told him she wouldn't actually care that much. She was so different than other people.

Kinder in a way, more accepting. Understanding. But with this vindictive hatred that could have rivaled the devil, that he had seen yesterday, when she had killed her first victims and again today when she had lost it on Brendon. There was a fire in her, one that drew him in like a moth and he wasn't entirely sure wither to resist it or not. "What?" He asked after a long silence, turning his eyes away quickly in order to finish what he was doing. Sure his face must be red as her hair. She giggled above him, a sweet bubbly sound. "Nothing...Never mind." 

He finished on her leg, reaching out for her arm next, she leaned over to give him better access to it. Pulling up her other leg and laying against it, closing her eyes, seeming calm now. Like nothing had happened in the past hour. Again he smirked, "Doesn't this hurt at all?" He asked, though he was being gentle, something he wasn't with anyone else, he was still pretty sure the stuff he was dabbing at her with should sting. "I've felt worse."

He wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not, but he could swear the way she said that she meant more than those bullies attacking her. The thought made him frown lightly, wondering, "Yeah...? Parents used to slap you around or something?" The raven meant it as a joke, figuring those teenagers weren't the only kids to beat the shit out of her. Jeff had heard from outside her home how her parents bad mouthed her. He paled impossibly at her answer.

"My mother did...Whenever my real dad wasn't around." She murmured in a thoughtful way, no hint of anything in her voice, it was almost mechanical the way she said it. Her expression unchanged, "She would tell him I hurt myself playing and such...I don't think he really believed her, but there wasn't much he could do to prove it either."

"Fucking hell...sorry."

The red head shrugged a bit, "Not your fault. Just how it was...I shouldn't even be surprised she didn't believe me in the hospital the other day. Either way, I don't have to worry about it now, so it doesn't matter does it?" It was a rhetorical question. 

Silence fell again as the raven finished wrapping her arm in gauze, sitting back and putting things away when he was done. "Its late, your welcome to stay if you want...or I can walk you home." He offered slowly, as if choosing his words carefully, walking out of the bathroom. He need not look to know she had followed him, he could hear her bare feet walking slowly across the hardwood flooring. It was awkwardly quiet a moment, as he busied himself picking a few things up and tossing stuff out of the way. "Do you...do you think they'll care?"

The raven snorted as he tossed a box careless off his half made bed, yes his bed was in the same room, the apartment was that damned small. Perfect for him at least. "Which part? Not coming home or staying here?" He asked, tilting his head back and to the side to look at her over his shoulder, one hand on his hip. She shifted where she stood, heaving a sigh, "Either, I guess..."

Jeff shrugged, "I wouldn't worry to much, I'm sure they figure you'll-" He was cut off by a knock at his door, his head whipping around to look at it, blue eyes narrowed slightly. "Go in the bathroom and lock the door."

"Wha-what? Why?!"

"Don't fucking argue, just go!" Jeff hissed, walking into his kitchen and snatching up the knife from the counter, the blood on it dry now and flaking in places. Approaching the door he heard a second knock, this one a bit louder, the bathroom door shutting behind him. Grabbing the door handle, he turned it slowly. He didn't have one of those peep holes in the door and the only windows in his apartment were on the opposite wall and in the now locked bathroom. Thus he had no way of knowing who was outside his door, only that he never had guests and it set his nerves on hyper drive, guests were almost never a good thing. 

A fourth knock, this one very loud, he turned the handle and stepped back. Hidden behind the door, out of sight, he waited for whomever to foolishly enter. A shadow spilled across the floor from the dim moonlight outside, no doubt the clouds having parted enough for such a thing. But the shadow didn't move. Jeff watched the shadow's arms cross, frowning deeply, who the hell? "Jeffery Woods I know your behind the door and I am NOT falling for that trick again." Came a familiar voice from outside the door.

Jeff cringed at the use of his full name, shifting to peer around the wooden surface at the speaker, "I should have never told you my full name. The hell do you want Laughing Jack...? No, wait, better yet. How the hell did you know where I lived?" He glared at the monochromatic clown as the tall being finally came into the apartment, the smaller raven glancing around outside before shutting the door. 

Laughing Jack crossed his long arms, turning toward Jeff after glancing around, hips cocked slightly to the side with a kind of attitude that told the shorter raven the taller was not happy about something. "I have ways. That aside, have you seen the news tonight?"

The younger raven raised a brow, immediately flipping on the small T.V he owned, which sat on the counter in the kitchen close to the door. Tuning it to the nearest news station he watched the report with a subtle frown.

"In other news there has been a rash of strange murders and attacks in the small town of Rosswood recently. According to police three teenagers, Olivia Holten, Scott Johnston, and William Nadic where all found brutally murder near their homes in the quiet town! All of them appear to have been killed in similar fashion and the police have concluded there is a serial killer on the loose!" The news woman paused, putting a finger to her ear, before lifting the mic again. "This just end! Another victim has been found! A young Mr. Brandon Murphy and his mother, Trish Murphy were attacked earlier this evening! Mr. Murphy is still alive, but in critical condition from multiple stab wounds to the chest and stomach, it is unclear if he will make it. But the police believe he has identified his attacker as Ms. Mary Montgomery, a local girl who was recently reported missing after she ran from the hospital three days ago. Allegedly the girl was admitted the hospital after digging out her own eye with a-" Jeff flipped off the TV in disgust, glancing at L.J.

Jack gave Jeff a knowing look, frowning deeply, "You let her get caught?! I thought you were better than this!" The boy in the hoodie made an offended face, "How do you know I had anything to do with this Mary girl?!" The clown gave the teen before him a droll look, as if saying 'Are you fucking serious?' "Jeffery, your the only one it could be. I'm not stupid, the others at the house may not believe its you, but I'm no fool. She mentioned a boy with a brother helping her yesterday, you and Liu are the only brothers among us."

"So? It could have been anyone else!"

L.J sighed and shook his head, rubbing his face with his black fingers, "Jeff, please don't play stupid tonight. I'm not in the mood, I've already had to go help hunt down Liu after his little outburst last night. Is she here?" Jeffery didn't answer, just crossed his arms and looked away, appearing to be pouting. "Fine, is she at least safe?" The smaller raven glanced up at the taller, frowning deeply, stretching the wide scars on his face. It looked painful. "Of course she is. I'm not stupid, I wouldn't have left her just anywhere."

The clown smirked, glancing at the only other door in the room, "So she is here."

"Wha-?" Jeff's eyebrows shot into his hairline as the clown man moved toward the bathroom door, the shorter raven starting to panic, "Wait! Their's no one here!" But it was too late, Jack was already jiggling the locked handle, making an annoyed face, "Alright, come on Mary! Just come out kiddo." There was no reply. "Mary? I'm not mad about this, no one is. Its perfectly natural among us to do what you did, your not in trouble. But I need to take you back to the house, the boss wants to talk to you." Again there was no reply and the clown raised a brow, glancing at Jeff, who was glaring at him.

"I don't know, alright?! If she doesn't want to come out then leave her the hell alone. I'm sure she has enough shit on her mind without worrying about facing that faceless asshat." The teen grumbled angrily, but he was worrying a little that she wasn't answering at all. Had she bled more than he thought and fainted or something?! After a few minute he too approached the door, knocking lightly, gripping the handle with his other hand. "Yo, you alright? I won't make you come out, just answer me okay?"

Yet again there was no answer. "Alright, I'm opening this door, in three! You better fucking say something!" He counted down slowly, stepping back to put some space between himself the the aged wooden door. Reaching three he rushed the door, slamming his shoulder into it hard enough he was sure it would bruise, stumbling when it gave under his weight with a loud crack, slamming open against the wall inside. He looked around the small bathroom...It was empty. The window was open.

Jeff's wide eyes went wider, his heart sinking, "Shit..."


	5. Tag, your it...

Jeffery leaned out the window, looking around, there was no ledge, it was just a straight drop to the ground. Even though it was only the second story the fall would have been painful he was certain, especially with her injured leg. He heard Laughing Jack mutter a curse, "We need to find her, there are cops all over the place looking for her!" The smaller man said nothing, pushing the clown out of his way and running out the front door, surely she hadn't gotten far!? Rushing around the side of the building he stopped beneath his window, looking around, not seeing her anywhere. "Shit...shit! Where did she fucking go?!" 

"Go check the park! I'll head into the woods and see if she went to the cemetery!" L.J called down from the window before vanishing to undoubtedly do just that and Jeff didn't stop to double check, he went straight for the park, dodging through the woods to get there.

* * *

 

Mary sat down on the ground beneath a large tree, leaning back against it and looking up at the sky as she tried to catch her breath. She had no idea what she had been thinking, the teen had very simply just panicked and done the only thing that came to her mind, jump out the fucking window. The fall had hurt, a lot. And her leg was sore from that and running on it, she could feel the bandages on it already coming loose from all the motion too. Sighing heavily, she pulled her knees up to her chest despite the protest of her wounds, wrapping her arms around them. Shivering slightly from the chill that clung to the air, laying her head down. 

_'That the hell was I think...?'_

**_'That they might reject you.'_** A voice in her head giggled at her, **_'I bet they'll kick you out of that house too! And there's no doubt Jeff will get tired of you hanging around too.'_** It taunted in the shadows at the corners of her mind, _'But their my friends...'_ The voice giggled viciously at her reply, ** _'You don't have friends! Your just a useless waste. Little Miserable Mary~'_**

The sounds of leaves crunching under someones feet caught her ears, making her lift her head, single green orb searching the shadows of the trees in the dim moonlight. Not seeing anyone right away, her stomach fluttered in something akin to nervous worry, not yet fear. "H-Hello...? Jeff, is that you?" Mary called out softly, lowering her arms from her knees a little and slowly standing up, looking behind the tree she was under to be sure whomever wasn't going to sneak up on her. Still not seeing anyone, she turned back, searching the trees for...there! Someone was standing half behind a tree, peaking around the trunk at her. They appeared to be rather small, the top of their head wouldn't likely reach her hip. _'A kid? Way out here in the middle of the night?'_

Mary walked toward the child, only able to make out a few of their features, like their long curly hair. Pink dress. A little girl? "Hey...are you lost?" She called out in a gentle voice to the girl, who lifted her head a little more, perking up a bit when she was noticed. The moon peaked from the clouds illuminating the girl now. She had brown hair and green eyes, wasn't wearing shoes and...Mary's stomach twisted, sucking in a sharp breath, "Are you okay?!" The elder girl asked in worry, moving much closer now, kneeling in the dirt so she was closer to the little child's height. The little girl blinked her big eyes, a smile slowly spreading across her face blood streaked face, the expression eerie in the darkness. "Do you want to play a game with me?"

The red head wasn't sure how to respond at first, blinking at the girl, she was covered in blood! Wasn't she injured...? Mary gave a small, wary smile, "Erm, okay..." The teen held out her hand, only then remembering she herself was covered in blood, grimacing a little, but the girl didn't seem bothered as she took her hand. 

The little girl lead her through the trees, farther and farther from the direction of town, Mary looking back once or twice in slight worry. Not wanting to get lost out there in the dark. The little girl lead the taller for what seemed an hour or better, the red head slowly beginning to worry. But eventually they came upon a ramshackle house, overgrown and nearly falling down in places. The child  giggled in a high voice, "Come on, its this way!" The girl grinned, letting go of the red head and darting into the building through the door that barely clung to the hinges. "Wa-wait! It could be..." The red head had reached out a hand to try and stop the girl, but she was already inside, "Dangerous..."

Uncertain, the red head moved forward slowly, pushing aside the crumbling door. The inside of the shack was dark, long, black shadows cast from the moon outside through the windows and holes in the roof and walls. Leaves and broken glass, bits of old furniture, strewn across the floor. It smelled damp, musty with age and emptiness. There was something else in the air too, something far too familiar that Mary couldn't put her finger on as she walked about the building looking for the little girl. Eventually she came across a doorway leading into a basement, swallowing, she made her way down into the darkness. "Hello...?"

"Hehe~ You came to play...I'm so happy!"

The girls voice echoed in the inky shadows as Mary's eyes slowly adjusted to the pitch black. Her left foot stepped on something that squished under her foot, the sound of it making her heart flip as she looked down, taking a step back. At first it was hard to tell what it was, the thing on the floor that snaked farther into the darkness, but as she bent down...got a better look...reached out her fingers as if to touch it...The teenager swallowed thickly against a sick feeling that overwhelmed her as she realized it was a length of intestines. Giggling in the corner caught her attention, making her turn her single green eye to the sound, seeing the little girls eyes shinning in the darkness. Her smile seemed to literally produce light, as did her big green eyes, "Will you play with me?"

Mary slowly took a step toward the door, inching toward it with a wary smile, this was not a normal child. This kid screamed dangerous right then. "That depends on the game we're playing." She answered in a calm tone, keeping the wavering from her voice as much as possible. The girl moved toward her, seeming suspicious of her, her large eyes narrowed. "I wanna play the game you play with Jeff! I saw you in the woods! It looks so fun! Can we?"

The teen blinked, stopping in her tracks at the oddly innocent look on the six year old's face. _'The game I played with Jeff...? Surely she doesn't mean...'_ Mary smiled a little, the look nervous and showing her uncertainty about the child, "I...I don't think I can right now. I made a mess tonight and I can't go back to town yet..." She explained in a sweet way, calm and trying to be soothing. The red head nearly jumped out of her own skin when the little girl gave an ear splitting scream, "I WANT TO PLAY NOW!!" The girl lunged at Mary who let out a shocked gasp, dashing up the stairs, almost tripping half way, she stumbled out of the basement and into the crumbling house nearly missing the child's clawing fingers. 

Scrambling to her feet in time to miss the child's razor sharp nails grabbing at her a second time, "I'm sorry! I can't play with you!" Mary cried out, heart pounding wildly as she ran as quickly as she could from the house, wincing now and again when she would hit something sharp on the ground. The red head REALLY wished she had shoes right then. But that girls screaming followed close behind her, driving the teen forward despite any pain she might be feeling, the adrenaline taking hold alongside the fear and washing her in temporary numbness. _'What the hell is wrong with this kid?!'_

"WAH!" Mary let out a surprised shout when she slammed into someone, hard enough to knock them both to ground, rolling across the leaves a foot or two. The red head moaned softly, getting up on her hands and knees, lifting her fingers to her throbbing head. She had hit something, the pain in her temple screamed that, though it was unclear what. Putting her fingers to her head they came away red, hissing softly, _'Why am I so accident prone?! Is the universe out to kill me?'_

"What the fucking hell?!" Came a familiar male voice near her, making her lift her eye, a tiny gasp leaving her. Jeff was sitting up from the ground near her, rubbing the back of his head as he turned to look at her. He looked shocked for a moment, before something like relief filtered across his scared features, "Shit! What are you doing out here-Hey?!" 

Mary was on her feet, looking past him into the trees ten feet away, that child was there, her large eyes glowing like headlights in the darkness. The red head shook, "Jeff...run!" She chocked out, backing away as the little girl grew closer. But the raven just gave her a weird look, turning to see what was scaring her so badly. The shorter teen softly urging him a second time to run, but he only crossed his arms at the child, who stopped, pouting up at him angrily as he got to his feet. "I wanna play with her! You've been playing games with her for two whole days!" The little girl whined up at the raven teen who sighed heavily, "Sally, seriously? The kind of game you want to play will end up killing her. For the same reason I won't play your kinds of games anymore."

"B-but! I was going to be gentle I promise!"

"No. Go home. NOW!" 

The red head stood back watching, calming down slowly. Despite the kid trying to attack her she felt a little bad when she began crying, the sight broke her heart, dangerous or not she was still just a child. Nibbling her lip, she debated a moment, "Sally...? That's your name, its really pretty." Mary said softly, walking up beside Jeff who shot her an odd look as she crouched down to Sally's level, sitting on her knees. "I'm really sorry I can't play your game...But, maybe we can play something else, okay? I know! Do you like stuffed animals?"

Sally nodded slowly, rubbing the tears from her eyes, "Yeah..." She mumbled, watching the teen smile a little wider at her, "Then why don't we play with those?" The child perked up a little, her eyes lighting with innocence, "Mean it?!" Mary nodded, happy to have made the girl feel better at the very least. Straightening up, she smiled up at Jeff, who was giving her a strange look. "What?"

The older of the three laughed, shaking his head, "You! You get over things way too easily! Sally was trying to kill you and here you are being all nice about it." He pointed out, still laughing a bit. Mary crossed her arms, lifting a hand to her still throbbing temple, "Well, she's only a kid. I'm sure she didn't really mean it in a bad way or anything." Jeff shook his head again, before facing her fully, Sally had wandered away now. Skipped off into the trees to go home, where ever that may be. "You really might be crazy, y'know that, right?"

Mary's face reddened a little, "Yeah, maybe a bit."

"Wanna tell me why you ditched out the window?"

The shorter shifted uncomfortably at the question, looking down at the ground, "I well...I panicked...I guess." Jeff rolled his eyes, one hand on his hip, "Seriously? Why?" 

"I don't really know...I just didn't want to...to get you in trouble or me in trouble or...I don't know, I'm sorry." She curled her fingers into tight fists on either side of herself, crossing her arms tightly to hide the tiny tremble in them. It was quiet a moment before she heard the raven mumble something under his breath, "I could give a fuck less what those ass holes think in that house, they can't do shit to me or you for that matter. They don't rule the god damn world you know."

"But..."

"Forget it. Come on, Laughing Jack went looking for you too, so lets get to that stupid house and get this over with. There's no hiding now." Jeff sighed, leading the way through the trees, "Sure the whole goddamned house knows by now." Mary hesitated a few minutes, before following him, hanging her head. She felt guilty about the whole situation, despite what he said, it seemed like she was causing him a lot of trouble. 

* * *

 

It was a fairly long, quiet walk to the house. Mary stared at the ground the entire way there, so it surprised her when Jeff stopped suddenly, nearly running right into him. When she lifted her eyes he was watching her, arms crossed over his blood stained hoodie, "Well...I guess I'll see you..." He sighed, looking away from her, his blue eyes hard. The red head hung her head, "Yeah...I...I hope so."

"Their not going to kill you, so don't get worked up. Just go, before that faceless freak decides I have to-"

"Jeffery, why don't you join us inside?" Came a calm, deep voice behind the pair, just above them. Mary nearly fell she jumped so hard, whipping around to come face to face with a...a waist? Looking up...and up...she saw that white, featureless head and swallowed thickly. Heart starting to pound in worry instantly as she recalled the night before. Taking a step back from it, hands trembling at her sides, she looked away. Jeff was stiff as a board next to her and hadn't even turned to look at the thing, just shot a look at her from the corner of his eyes, an unreadable expression on his face. "And if I say fuck off?"

Mary didn't look back, she was afraid too. It was quiet a moment or two before the tall thing replied, "Jeffery, you know very well what I'll do. So, just co-operate and no one needs to get hurt." The voice was oddly calm and almost cheerful, Jeff glared ahead, mumbling a curse under his breath as he started off toward the house. The red head started after him, but a hand to her shoulder stopped her. The teen stiffening, turning her gaze again upward to the tall, faceless being. "You need not fear me child, I've no reason to bring harm to you. Come, we shall need to discuss a great many things inside."

The red head nodded slowly, though she was still nervous, she allowed the creature to lead her inside with a gentle hand on her back. Laughing Jack was standing against the wall in the living room waiting when they entered, along with several others scattered around the room. Mary spotted Sally playing on the rug in front of the T.V, a little teddy bear dancing in her grasp. Eyeless Jack was sitting on the couch too, along with BEN who was playing the N64. They were the only people in the room she recognized. The others were two differently dressed guys in masks. One guy with yellow goggles propped up on his head and a half mask over his mouth, he sat on the couch as well, whilst the two in masks stood to one side watching the TV. Jeff was seated by the hearth, arms crossed over his chest. He had removed his hoodie, wearing a black t-shirt, and had it folded over the back of his chair, his expression annoyed.

Mary didn't see Liu or Jason. The later she was sure must be in his workshop upstairs, but the former...She worried what may have happened to the brunette. Was he really still mad at her? Somehow she felt like he might not forgive her after all, but she tried to believe that Jeff was right. That somehow Liu would come around.

"Everyone, I'd like to make quick introductions for our new live in, if you could all turn this way for a moment." The creature said, everyone doing as commanded, well everyone but Jeff who was glaring at the empty hearth still. "As everyone, I am sure at this point, knows, this is Mary." The creature laid a large hand on her head, making her feel very much like a child but she said nothing, just ducked her head and stared at the floor. Not liking being the center of attention, it reminded her of being the new kid at school, something to stare and ogle at...

"Mary...?" She lifted her eye to the creature, keeping that single green orb trained on where she assumed its eyes would have been. "You've already met most everyone here currently. But you have not met my proxies...that is Tim, Brian, and Toby." It pointed at each in turn, only Toby raised a hand to her, a jerky twitch a second later. She smiled a little, lifting a hand in greeting back. Toby pointed at the two in the masks, "Everyone just calls him Hoodie and him M-Masky! J-just so you know."

The red head nodded, shifted a little when the creature drew her attention again, motioning her to follow him down the hall next to the stairs. Beyond one of the two doors there was an office, a simple thing with book shelves and a large desk, two chairs facing it. "Wait here a moment." He instructed her, leaving her there as he went back down the hall. The teen watched the door a moment or two, before letting out a long sigh, deflating in one of the chairs facing the desk. She put her face in her still dirty hands, hunched over in the chair. _'I don't know what to even feel or think right now...this entire week has been a total mess...'_ She thought tiredly, elbows rested on her legs as she pulled her hands back, gazing at the blood chipping away from her fingers that shook softly. Likely some combination from both the emotional and physical stress since she had woken in the hospital. Everything was moving so fast...One minute she was a normal high schooler and now she was a serial killer.

The very thought **_SHOULD_** have horrified her, to know she had blatantly taken the life of another person. Yet she couldn't find the remorse in her heart at all, she wasn't exactly happy about it. It was more like...like she felt relieved they were dead. Like they could no longer bring harm to her or anyone else. 

Now that she thought on it a lot of things over the past few days should of horrified her, scared her, made her generally wary. She really wasn't normal at all. If anything the past few days she had felt more happy, accepted, like she **_REALLY_** belonged some place rather than like a wasted bit of space wandering through the world like a puppy on a leash following commands and adhering to what people wanted. Mary still felt uncomfortable in her own skin, sure, but not as much as she had at home or school. The door creaked behind her and when she lifted her head and looked back she saw Laughing Jack coming in, the clown giving her a small, almost wary smile as he walked over and sat beside her. 

"Hey ya kiddo, how are you feeling?"

Mary gave the tall raven a confused frown, tilting her head a bit, "I'm...fine I think. Am I...am I really being allowed to live here?"

L.J nodded, sitting back in his seat, arms crossed loosely over his thin frame, "Yes, Slenderman has decided to let you. So long as you want to stay that means your allowed. That room upstairs is officially yours to do with as you will. Hmh~ Jason is up there fixing it up to welcome you into the family." She smiled softly at that, feeling a bit better, less empty. "So...your hanging out with Jeff after all." He said after a moment of silence, making her look up at him again, uncertainty in her eyes. "I...I know you warned me it might be dangerous...But he's been nothing but nice to me. Like everyone else."

The clown looked off to the side, "Just be careful, he can be equally unstable as he can be nice." Moments after he said that Slenderman re-entered the room, Jeffery in tow, the raven teen looking even more pissed than before. The tall creature sat behind the desk, Jeff hung back, leaning against the wall near by where Mary and L.J sat. "Now then," Slender turned his faceless head to Mary, tilting it slightly, "We need to discuss a few...rules. Starting with simple things. Obviously you'll need to fend mostly for yourself, as everyone here does. I ask that you not pry into the lives of the others who come and go here if they don't wish to share, as they have been asked not to do the same to you. Please pick up after yourself and do not, please, do not bring bleeding bodies in the house. If you really must bring someone home with you clean up any mess you make and discard the remains, preferably some where no one will find them or trace them back."

Mary listened carefully, nodding every once and awhile, thinking some of the rules seemed rather strange to be hearing. "Now, as for the incident tonight..." The red head ducked her head, looking away, "I commend your drive to kill all of you victims quickly, but you should take your time, you'll get reckless and over confident other wise. Think things through instead of rushing in, I realize Jeffery tends to do such things, but he has been doing it far longer."

"I was trying to show her how to put them to sleep properly asshole, its not my fault she lost her temper! And besides, I didn't see any of you trying to help her do it!" The raven accused the suited creature in an angry voice, pointing at him to punctuate his meaning. "Jeffery..."

"Don't fucking call me that! God dammit, my name is Jeff! JEFF! I killed Jeffery years ago, along with his whole fucking shit family!" The raven shouted, slamming a fist into the wall behind him, hard enough to scatter bits of plaster and dust. Cracks spidering out form that spot. Mary's eyes went a little wide, she had ever seen him lose his temper. _'I've only know him for three days...'_ She chided to herself. The red head wondered about what he said though, about killing 'Jeffery' and his family, wanting to ask. But this was neither the time or place.

Slenderman stood, looming over them, Mary could almost sense his anger. That static buzzing in her ears softly. "Jeffery Woods you will not raise your voice to me! You know very well none of us could lift a finger without triggering Liu, would you have wanted us to have him kill her in his anger?! As it is no one has seen him sense yesterday, do you not worry over that at all?" Jeff seemed to deflate a little, "You haven't...seen him? YOU haven't seen him?!"

The creature sat back down, "No, I and my proxies are looking, but he doesn't seem to want to be found. This presents a predicament in and of itself, without knowing where he is we have no idea wither he is planning anything or not. As it is Mary will not be allowed out of this house without someone with her until we either find him or can be certain she can handle herself against him." Mary frowned deeply, confused and hurt, a little scared. "Liu....Liu wouldn't hurt me...He's my friend." She argued, looking between Slenderman and Jeff.

The three men looked between each other, Jeff shook his head, running a frustrated hand through his messy black hair. "And sure, normally he wouldn't. Back before, when you were, in his opinion, 'innocent and pure'." The raven replied with a heavy sigh, "Liu...Liu's never been the same sense....Look he suffers from this weird split personality, alright? One side is fine, calm, okay with most everyone. Me excluded. The other side? Is crazy, he just goes off on people, but its almost always me. Because he see's me as a monster, not that I blame him."

Slenderman nodded, "Yes, its the reason Jeffery asked me to house Liu here. In the hopes that being around so many like us might change him for the better, merge the split if you will."

"But...but it didn't work?"

"Apparently not Kiddo. He had seemed to have been doing better, he hasn't attacked anyone of us in awhile since Jeff decided to move out. Recently he even started talking more..."

Mary hung her head, guilt filling her like molten iron balling in her stomach, "This is...my fault isn't it? Its because he asked me not to and I did it anyway..." The red head mumbled sadly, feeling like her heart might be breaking, she had destroyed the progress they had made on Liu. No one said much at first, "You can't blame yourself for that shit." Lifting her green eye she met Jeff's blue orbs a moment, he crossed his arms sullenly and looked away, "This would have happened one way or another. You can't tell me in the end you wouldn't have wanted or tried to kill those bastards one way or another."

She stared at him a moment or two, before closing her eyes and nodding, "Your right...I probably would have eventually...But..."

"And there's nothing wrong with that Kiddo, Liu is just...different. Deep down I don't think he wants to hurt you, that's why he's staying away, just give it time." Laughing Jack reassured, before standing up, "Well, its about time for dinner, I was thinking something sweet. Like pancakes!" Mary smiled halfheartedly, getting to her feet as well. Nodding and muttering a thank you to Slenderman, before following the clown out of the room. 

* * *

 

Jeff lingered behind, glaring at the ground. "Are you going to stay?" The raven shrugged from the wall, moving to leave the room, "I guess for the night won't hurt." There was a chuckle behind him, which made him stop, raising a brow at the faceless being. "Your afraid to leave her."

The teen felt his face warm, eyes wide, before he growled and flipped the creature off. Leaving the room to go into the kitchen where L.J was in the process of making dinner, Mary wasn't there. Looking around the room, he tried to find her, "Looking for you girlfriend?" Cooed a teasing voice by his ear. Jeff growled, swinging his arm out and elbowing BEN in the gut, the computer ghost doubled over coughing. "Screw you."

BEN laughed once he recovered, "Your just mad cause you didn't get a close up of that nice rack." This time the blonde was quick to dodge the punch thrown at his face, laughing all the while as he vanished into an electrical socket. The others snickered in the living room, but said nothing, no one wanted to end up with stab wounds.

"She went upstairs to clean up, you should do the same." L.J said off-handly, not turning around, but the amusement was clear enough in his voice. Jeff huffed in annoyance, stomping his way up the stairs to his room there, the one he hadn't been in in well over a year. The room was quiet, cold and just as mess as when he had left it. The bed still unmade, a few things he hadn't taken scattered about. Leaning back on the closed door he wondered why he had no just gone home tonight, this was stupid and ridiculous and...the color green filtered across his mind. Green surround by waves of crimson. _'What the hell is wrong with me...? Why am I so caught up on this...this girl?!'_

He'd been feeling so damned off sense that day in the cemetery, he had been following her for an hour or better, taking his sweet time. It had been a nice day and he thought it so lucky some idiot teenage girl had decided to skip school for a walk in the woods. And then, seeing those others brats tearing up his brothers empty grave, he had been ready to murder all four of them. But she had surprised him...half way to her back with the edge of his knife she had yelled at those other kids. Had thrown a rock, ready to defend a strangers grave against three guys at least double her size for no apparent reason.

Jeff had felt nothing but confused since then, he didn't know how to act, what to do. So he had followed her. From the cemetery that evening, watched and listened as her parents bad mouthed her, wanting to tear them both open. Watched her get picked on at school every freaking day like _he_ had once a upon a time. That had really been upsetting, the disgusting reminder of how much he hated normal people, _why_ he hated them. Hated people all together.

And then last week...when she hadn't come out of the school at the normal time, he had gotten curious. Snuck inside to see what she was up to, really not sure why he had done it. And by the stars her screams had given him chills, not exactly good ones either. Thinking back on it now he realized he had been full blown pissed when he finally found her in the cafeteria, bleeding out on the floor with those son of a bitches over her. At first he had intended to kill them, right then and there, but as he got close enough to Mary's body. Saw her staring up at the ceiling with this semi-lifeless expression? He hesitated, long enough those brats had escaped, but he knew then he would see to their eternal sleep some how or other. 

The raven had done so many foolish, uncharacteristic things that week. And he was **_STILL_** doing them. It was driving him almost mad! Hell until yesterday he hadn't even felt like killing anything until she offered to let him take that guys buddy, and he had felt a strange thrill knowing she was watching him do it. Half way wanting to see if she would be horrified. The same for earlier that night, when he had killed that other guys mom. He had wanted to scare her, make her sick, horrified. Just to assure himself she wasn't different, that she was just like anyone else and he shouldn't feel...feel like he wanted to be near her. 

"ARGH!!!" Jeff shouted, kicking the desk he had in his room, knocking some things over in frustration. Yanking at some of his wild hair, making it wilder. He continued tearing things in the room up, releasing the pent of anger he was feeling at nothing he could pin point, until a tentative knock came to his door that made him freeze. Turning his wide, lidless blue eyes toward it...

* * *

 

Mary had been in her own room, sitting on her bed, talking to Jason. She was freshly washed, wearing a black t-shirt with the words 'Precious Psycho' splashed in red across the front and knee length black shorts. Comfortable things. Jason had decorated her room, just as Laughing Jack had told her. Though it was a bit childish, shelves of stuffed animals and dolls, lacy throw pillows and brightly colored quilts, she actually liked it. Jason was just picking up yet another doll and telling her about it, he really liked talking about them, when they heard a crash in a room near by. 

The elder red head didn't really react, going on about the stuffed bear he was holding that had large paws and a cute eye patch and vest. But Mary had stood, jumped really, at the noise. Her single eye wide in shock and then worry, _'Was that Jeff?!'_

"Ignore it, your won't get any peace other wise. Now as I was-Hmmm..." Jason frowned when Mary moved toward the door, irritation on his face as he got up from the chair he had been occupying. "I'll be right back, sorry!" She ducked her head in apology, darting into the hall and following the sounds of destructing. Coming to a closed door just down from her own, she hesitated a moment, flinching at the sound of what seemed to be a lamp or other glass object breaking. "You really don't want to mess with him when's he's like that you know." 

Jason's voice came from next to her right ear, making her jerk her head around to look at him, eyes wide. Something else broke in the room, worry twisting up her insides, "But...what if he gets hurt?" The elder red head actually laughed at this, "Believe me, he's nearly numb to things like pain. Or anything for that matter, don't get attached." 

Mary gazed up at the toy maker, glanced at the closed down when something smashed into it and the wood shook in its frame. Jason placed a hand on her shoulder, "Come now, I've so much more we can talk about." The teen sighed, shaking her head and putting a hand on the one on her shoulder, "I will in a minute, I just want to make sure he's okay first." The shorter red head smiled softly, calmly walking away from Jason to knock softly on the door. Silence fell almost at once and Mary waited....and waited, before knocking a second time, "Jeff? Are you alright...?"

It was quiet a few more minutes, before the door was yanked open very suddenly, startling the smaller teen. A single green eye looked up into Jeff's shadowed face, unable to see his eyes for the darkness cast by the fringe of his hair in the dim hallway lighting. Mary stood very still, heart racing for some unknown reason, her hands curled tightly together over the place the pounding organ sat in her chest. Perhaps it was all of the warnings she had been given or the fact it was so quiet that she felt suddenly afraid of him, a foreign feeling mixed into the fear that she didn't recognize. 

And then he moved, so fast she didn't even realize it till pain bloomed up the back of her head and down her spine. He had slammed her against the wall beside the door, holding her wrists over her head with both his hands. Mary couldn't breathe, couldn't speak, all she could do was feel the panic setting in. The immediate fear of pain slamming into her like a ton of bricks, the image of Olivia and her friends screaming into her head. Flashes of those boys pinning her and beating her, the spork lingering so dangerous close to her face in her minds missing eye. She could just make out Jeff's eyes in the flickering light near her, the expression unreadable, though she didn't really take the time to read it. 

Jason was somewhere, yelling at Jeff over the buzz of laughter in Mary's head, but the raven didn't seem to be listening at all. But the moment he turned his head, looked away from Mary, she reacted. Screaming at him, fear and panic in the sound, slamming her knee into him hard enough to make him let go. The raven stumbled backward in surprise, dropping the shorter teen who took off down the hall at a full run, slamming into the wall by the stairwell before bolting down. Flinging open the front door, she took off into the darkness before anyone had a chance to stop her...

* * *

 

Jeff stood in the hallway, staring in the direction she had gone. A stinging pain spread across his cheek as he was slapped suddenly, eyes widening when he looked at the tall red haired toy maker before him. "What the hell were you thinking?!" Jason screamed at the shorter man who did not reply, footsteps came up the stairs, Toby, L.J and E.J appearing at the end of the hall. "Wh-what happened? M-Mary just r-ran out the door!" The goggle wearing brunette asked in a rush, looking between the two men and the front door below the stairs.

"He attacked her for no reason! Pinned her against the wall!" Jason told them when Jeff only looked away, Laughing Jack took a few steps toward him, "What the hell is your problem?!"

The raven growled, "I don't know okay?! I wanted to see if she was scared of me! I wanted to prove she was just like anyone else! Happy?!" He screamed at them, Jason sneered, "Idiot, anyone would be frightened if someone bigger pushed them against the wall like that! You've proven nothing except that your a complete fool!"

"Jeff, you know she was pinned down and beaten by her bullies! YOU KNEW SHE WOULD BE TERRIFIED OF YOU IF YOU DID THE SAME!" Laughing Jack screamed at him, startling everyone. No one had heard him raise his voice like that before, even Jeff was staring in shock at the clown, "She's been beaten and abused her entire life! She's had no one she could trust until now and you've gone and destroyed that by acting like an asshole because you don't know how to handle your own reckless bullshit!" 

"Then she shouldn't have trusted me in the first place!"

"But she did! You gave her a million reasons to trust you, you fucking idiot! She trusted you enough to follow you into a strangers house to kill them! Enough to allow you to take her to your home! Do you have any idea how hard it is for someone whose been abused to trust someone like that?! It might not seem that way to you, it might have appeared easy, but little acts of kindness mean everything so someone like Mary. She will naturally cling to anyone who shows even the tiniest amount of care!" The clown shook his head, "You, of anyone in this goddamned house, should understand how painful this kind of betrayal is." L.J turned and stormed down the stairs, "I'm going to go find her before she ends up getting hurt or worse!"

The hallway fell silent, everyone slowly turning to look at Jeffery, who glared at the wall near him like it had offended him personally. Once he was alone again he punched a hole into that spot, cursing under his breath viciously. _  
_

* * *

 

Laughing Jack didn't need to look long, thankfully Mary really hadn't gotten far. She hadn't been far from the cemetery, curled up between a tree, a fallen log, and a bush. Smudged in dirt and bits of leaves and grass stains. Sniffling softly, trying to be quiet. The clown leaned around the tree, sighing a little, "Hey kiddo...?" Mary jerked at the sound of his slightly gravely voice, not moving or looking back, "Are you going to be okay?" He knew it was a bad question, no one liked being asked that when they were so clearly upset. The teen just shook her head, sniffling a little, "I-I don't understand...what I d-did wrong..." She murmured softly, hugging her small frame tightly as Laughing Jack sat on the ground beside her. 

L.J wasn't even sure how to answer her. The first thing to come to mind was the cruel reminder he had warned her not to get close to Jeff in the first place, he knew the raven teen was unstable. The guy never knew how to react to normalcy or people treating him as something besides a monster, so his first instinct was to either attempt to murder the thing or harm it so badly it ran from him. The clown let out a sigh, wrapping a long arm around her, "Kiddo, Jeff is a very screwed up person inside. Its not that he means it, I don't think he knows how else to act."

Mary said nothing else on the matter, just cried softly until she could finally stop, wiping some of the mess from her face. "Shall we head back in? I think there are some pancakes with your name on 'em kiddo." The teen nodded softly, moving to get up, flinching a little when she did. Pain shooting up her left leg, but she held in the sound of a whimper that wanted to bubble out, forcing herself to stand tall. Laughing Jack must have noticed though, because he shot her a look that said as much, offering her an arm and wordlessly helping her back to the house. Somehow he must have known she didn't want attention brought to it, he was careful not to let it be noticeable. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Are things moving to quickly? Idk =w=''' Ah, if anyone is interested, I started a divianart page with different things related to the story and just Creepypasta in general, click or don't I don't mind. http://grellex2.deviantart.com/


	6. Reckless

_And I'll show you the road to follow_  
I'll keep you safe till tomorrow  
I'll pull you away from sorrow  
I see the real you  
Even if you don't I do. I do.  


_ From The Real You by Three Days Grace  
_

* * *

 

It had been a week since the incident. The next morning Mary had gone to Jeff's room in hopes of talking to him over it, but he hadn't been there. She didn't see him at all the rest of the week either and Liu had yet to return as well. The red head wasn't really sure what to do with herself, she wanted to go out, walk, something! But not wanting to deal with anyone else had avoided it, in fact she hardly left her room at all. No amount of coaxing from anyone seemed to work either. BEN offered videos games several times. Laughing Jack offered to take her out in the woods for some air. 

Sally came to her room at one point, and though she had wanted to turn the little girl away, she had promised to play with her and in the end gave into her cute pleading face. Jason simply sat in her room and held up a one sided conversation, which he didn't at all seem to mind. The toy maker even came and played with her and Sally, animatedly and much like a child...a very regal and weirdly elegant child. 

At some point by the next weekend she grew stir crazy, grouchy and just generally unable to sit still. And as luck would have it the only one home was Toby, whom she had never really talked to. Coming down the stairs, she stood in the foyer a few minutes, the brunette was seated in front of the TV. For a few minutes she contemplated just walking out, but the front door made this certain creak every time it was opened that wasn't exactly quiet, so she knew it wouldn't do her any good. Sighing softly, one hand gripping the opposite arm, she entered the living room. "Ah...um...I wanted to go for a walk..." The red head's face rivaled her hair as she gazed at the floor, feeling like a helpless animal of some sort.

Toby lifted his head from the TV, turning half-way. His mask was down around his neck, revealing the portion of his face that was missing and badly scared, his goggles pushed up onto his forehead. It was the first time she had really seen his face uninterrupted. The teen blinked in mild surprise, he looked far younger than she had at first assumed by his tall stature, she was expecting someone in their _late_ twenties, but he couldn't be more than _just_ twenty or even seventeen. The brunette twitched and smiled at her, "Okay, I guess-guess I'm the only one h-here huh?"

Mary smiled a tiny bit, nodding as he got up and pulled the mask up, goggles down. Gazing at her now through the yellow lenses, somehow she could tell he was smiling. She liked him already, Toby seemed like a genuinely nice person and it made her wonder how he had ended up there in that house. Everyone here seemed to have uniquely tragic stories. Sally for instance...the red head internally shuddered recalling the little girl telling the story to her yesterday. She knew people could be truly disgusting and cruel, but that, to do that to a child? It was a good thing the guy was already dead because Mary had had half a mind to hunt the bastard down herself.

And that lingering need to cause pain had stuck afterward, hence the reason she was so eager to get out of the house. She still had two bullies to hunt down...two ' _friends_ ' to add to her jar so they could be together always! "You a-alright?" Toby asked, startling her from her thoughts, the momentary expression of wild anger slipping back to a sweet smile. She didn't even realize she had zoned out. "Of course, I was just thinking about something is all." The brunette nodded, laughing a little, jerking. "Got blood on the brain h-huh? I-I've not gone for a h-hunt in awhile either!"

She giggled softly, nodding, he was sharp. "Yes, it seems I do. I hope you don't mind." He shook his head, she could tell he was grinning under the mask by the way his cheek bones rose slightly, "Not at-at all." Toby slowed his steps though, giving her a slightly uncomfortable look through his goggles, "But I was asked not to let you go into town for now, S-slendy thinks its s-still too soon."

Mary kept smiling, but inside she was screaming. Having wanted to blow off some steam at the very least, get this frustration out of the way. She kept her cool, as much as possible as they walked in the direction of the cemetery. Just before reaching it however, Toby put a hand on her arm to stop her, pointing out of the trees. To her surprise someone was sitting on one of the tombstones, Liu's stone to be exact, his back to them. Mary recognized the head of tangled black hair and white hoodie anywhere. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered how the hell he got the blood stains out so well, but the thought was fleeting and vanished seconds afterward.

The red head hesitated a moment, she had wanted to talk to him, to get him to explain himself. But seeing him there now, as frustrated as she already was, all she wanted to do was pelt him with fucking rocks and scream in his face about him being a fucking jerk.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed passed Toby who mumbled something as he tried and failed to stop her, the teen marching her way toward the grave. The raven must have heard them, because he looked up, just as she reached him in fact. And she slapped him, not really thinking so much as acting, tears in the corner of her good eye. His blue eyes going wide in shock, Toby muttered a curse behind Mary, making a face that said he had expected the raven to get mad. And for a second or two Mary looked surprised at her own actions, fear flittering across her vision for just that moment like a slow moving bird.

But instead of reacting as one might expect Jeff turned away from her, glaring into the tree line in front of him, rubbing his sore cheek. "I had that coming I guess..." He mumbled softly, Mary narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms. "You think?" His eyes went wide again, her voice had broken a little when she spoke and he could practically cut the betrayal in it with a knife. "I-I trusted you! I was only trying to make sure you were okay!" She shouted at him, the fear being out weighed by the pent up anger and hurt that had been stewing in her heart since the week prior.

The raven growled, his own anger starting to boil to the surface, though it was directed more at himself than her. "Yeah?! You always go around trusting people you barely know?! Huh?!" The red head looked taken aback, her single eye wide, tears trickling slowly down her pale cheeks. The betrayed look was back, doubled now by the clear pain his words had brought with it. Mary seemed to shrink a little, "N-no...but I...you were so nice to me and I just..." 

"WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO REALIZE I'M JUST A FUCKING MONSTER?! YOUR ONLY GOING TO END UP HURT AROUND ME!!" He screamed at her unthinkingly, looming over her now, her single eye terrified as she gazed up at him. But that fear melted into a sorrow so deep he thought he was drowning in it rather than her, staring into the abyss. It was an all too familiar feeling, one he had thought he had learned to ignore, but was reawakening. Mary shoved him suddenly, hard enough he nearly stumbled and fell, the motion shaking him from whatever trance he had been in. "Your...your my friend Jeff. And I..." She shook her head, "I see the real you. I-I know your not really a monster...your just acting like one right now..." Mary sniffled softly, trying not to cry, but it was impossible. She had always been the type to wear her emotions on her sleeve, so people said. 

The red head stepped back few feet, before turning and taking off in the trees. Jeff didn't move, he couldn't, he was unable to respond. Toby yelled after the short girl, running off in the direction she had gone in hopes of catching her. Dark clouds rumbled softly over head, signaling a coming storm.

* * *

 

It was around midnight that Mary wandered into her old neighborhood, standing outside her dark house, staring at it as the rain poured down and soaked her completely. It had been coming down hard for hours now. The red head felt empty, cold in a way that had nothing to do with being soaked to the bone. Slowly the teen made her way up the driveway to the front door, finding the spare key under the mat where her parents kept it, she slipped inside and shut the door silently. She wasn't sure why she had come there, what made her trudge up the stairs to her old bedroom. Standing there in the dark, staring at the boxes where her family had already packed up her things, most likely to get rid of the stuff. Mary wasn't exactly surprised, but it still stung knowing they were just going to trash the memory of her so easily. Mary had only been gone, what was it now? Two weeks at most?

Did no one care at all if she was alive or not? Had they ever even loved her at all? Looked for her...? From her nightstand she lifted up a framed photo of her and her mother and real father when she was still pretty young. It was one of the few pictures she had left of him, her mother had gotten rid of most the others in what she called 'learning to get passed the pain', Mary of course knew better. Opening the frame, she pulled out the picture, staring at it for a long time. "Would you be disappointed in me?" She asked the air with a bitter smile, folding the picture and tucking it away in her pocket. Mary sighed heavily, bending down and retrieving her boots from under her bed, slipping them on before quietly slipping down the stairs and into the kitchen. 

There, she retrieved a knife from the block. Staring at the shining surface of the blade, lighting flashed outside, illuminating her face for a second or two. The teen closed her good eye, pushing down the self-loathing that had surfaced upon seeing herself, seeing her own disgusting image. 

The lights flipped on suddenly, the red head jerking in shock, looking first to the ceiling and then whipping around to see her step-father in the door way. They both stood frozen for a moment, their eyes locked on each other. Then his flickered to the blade she was holding, face paling a bit. He slowly raised his hands, looking nervous, "M-Mary...dear...we were worried about you, hehe~ Wh-where have you been?" She could tell he was trying to sound calm, nonchalant. Like he was acting like his teenage step-daughter wasn't standing in the kitchen holding a large knife.

She tilted her head a little, a slow, haunting smile pulling at her lips. "Worried...? Really? That's why your already packing my things....? Why you've not even looked for me...?" He took a step back as she moved one forward, giggling softly, her hair falling away from the ruined side of her face. That gaping hole staring into him, or so he felt, like it was showing him how truly horrible he was. "Why you don't even believe me...?"

"N-now Mary, I think your just a bit stressed...why don't we just...calm down..." He murmured with a shake of his head, looking confused as well as scared, he felt so...depressed suddenly. The feeling for him was new, he had never been a sad man, so why was he sad now?

"But...I am calm. Don't you want to play a game? Its really easy, all you have to do is hold very still..." He audibly swallowed, stumbling back into the wall, scrambling a moment to turn around and run. "Don't run! It  only hurts more when you run!" She taunted him with a laugh as he darted up the stairs, staying hot on his heels as he made it to the bedroom he shared with her mother, slamming the door on her just before she would get in. The red head pounded on the surface with the butt of the kitchen knife she was holding, "Its okay! Just open the door! We'll have so much fun! You can both join my new friends and we can be a real family!" She cackled madly, kicking the door that did not budge. Jiggling the locked handle, she screamed in frustration, "Come on now! Your only stalling! Don't you want to play?!"

It was several minutes of listening to their soft whispers and whimpers on the other side of the door when she heard the one in the foyer burst open, single wide eye turning to the end of the hall, not sure what to expect. Distantly she could make out the sounds of sirens. But the person that bounded around the corner was the last she was expecting it to be. His brown hair was wild, breathing a little erratic as he turned toward her, forest green eyes wide. Some mixture of horror and relief on his features as he strode toward her, taking her hand without a word. She was too shocked to fight as he pulled her away from the house and back out into the rain, leading her back to the woods.

"Where are we going?!"

Liu said nothing for a very long time and she didn't even recognize the path he was leading her on, where was he taking her?! Finally Mary had enough, putting her heels into the dirt and refusing the move, forcing him to jerk to a stop. He turned on her, stared a minute, frowning. Then it was like someone had loosed a dam's worth of anger, fire lit in his eyes and he let out a growl, "What were you even thinking back there?! Are you trying to get yourself caught?!"

Mary glared at him, pouting a minute a she looked off to the side, "Does it matter?" The red head asked, sounding like a child denying they had done something wrong.

"Of course it matters! Do want to end up in a mental ward or...or dead?!" He yelled at her and she yanked her hand away from his, taking a step back, not meeting his eyes. "That's where I belong...isn't it? Nobody needs me, so who the hell cares?" The brunette blinked in surprise at her reply, "You shouldn't say things like that its-"

"Its what Liu?! _You_ think I'm a monster too! You won't talk to Jeff at all for the same reason!" Oh that triggered a nerve, she saw it in his eyes, his face went red from it. "Don't you-I-Jeff...THAT'S NOT FUCKING WHY!"

"THEN TELL ME WHY!" Mary screamed back in frustration, wanting the truth sure. But it was more than that, she couldn't put her finger on the feeling, the desire in her soul. It was like she wanted him to stop hating them both, felt like somehow him telling her the truth would solve this.

Liu growled, something flashing in his eyes, his whole demeanor seemed to change from anger to...to this almost eerie calm. "You want to know why...?" She glared at him, not seeming to notice the change as he was suddenly looming over her, yanking the knife from her hands roughly. The red head's eye widened, looking at the knife in his hands now, he was smiling in a sadistic manner at her. Chills washed down her spine, "Because he killed our parents...because he tried to kill me! HE'S THE WORST MONSTER OF ALL OF THEM!"

Mary unconsciously took a step back from him, suddenly afraid, something wasn't right. "Liu...I'm sorry...I-I didn't..." He laughed softly at her, titling his head a bit, advancing closer as she moved back. "Liu...? What...what are you doing?" The teen gasped when he swiped out at her with the knife, cutting her arm and narrowly missing doing worse than that as she dodged backward at the last second. The shorter of the two touched the spot, looking up at him again, shocked and scared. "Liu...? Liu, wait! Stop!" Mary screamed as he tried again, cackling at her as she ran from him, rushing through the trees blindly. Fear driving her forward even when her lungs burned from the effort, she could hear him laughing behind her, so close...

Mary was begging him to stop, but he didn't. Looking over her shoulder to try and see how close he really was, belatedly realizing this was a mistake, her toe catching on a root and sending her sailing. The red head tumbled across the ground with a loud yell, rolling to a stop in the dirt just beyond the line of trees. She whimpered softly, rolling over onto her back, her right arm was throbbing where she had clearly cut it up on something sharp. Somewhere she heard a familiar voice mutter a curse. Her single eye lifted to see Jeff coming toward her from the left, her heart skipping a terrified beat as she scrambled onto her feet again. The raven reached her just as she got up on her weak legs, her hands reaching out automatically to grab hold of his sleeves when he moved to catch her, "What the hell happened to you?"

* * *

 

All Mary could do was shake her head, eye wide with fear, looking back the way she had come. Mouthing the word 'Run', her voice unable to make the sound as she moved to do just that. "Wha-?! Hey, wait a second!" He was chasing after her, trying to keep up with the surprisingly fast girl, "Don't go that way there's a cliff!" Jeff called out, his heart slamming into his ribs harshly, reaching out to try and grab her before it was too late. The red head skidded to a stop with a gasp, waving her arms to keep her balance as she indeed discovered the edge of the cliff, looking down into the darkness of the drop before her. The raven stopped, hand still out stretched, a few feet away. "Shit...Just...just back up slowly alright?"

The red head turned her head, nodding a little as she took a step back, turning toward him. She was panting, wheezing for air, no doubt she had been running awhile. But why? "Its alright...whatever it is is gone now, you can-!" He saw it in her eye, saw the figure reflected there, before he even turned to look. Heard the steps coming up behind him. The entire world seemed to have slowed down to a crawl...Horror struck him as Mary unconsciously stepped backward, his voice caught in his throat, her hand reaching out for his...their finger tips brushed like feathers... 

"MAAARRRYYY!"

She was gone, just like that. Vanishing into the darkness over the edge. He couldn't breath, couldn't think, taking a step backward. Turning he saw Liu, holding a kitchen knife, the brunette's eyes wide. He saw the horror flit across his brothers face as he pushed passed him, running to find the path down to the base of the cliff, praying to whatever entity might listen not to let her die. Somewhere behind him he was vaguely aware of others following him, no doubt drawn by the yelling. A blur of monochrome darting passed him, followed by one of browns and reds. L.J and Jason taking the lead down the path to the large grassy field below. He lost sight of them for a few minutes, growling in frustration as he pushed himself to move faster. How had they even known? Where the hell had they been to get there so fast?!

Jeff slowed to a stop when he saw them just standing there, Jason was looking away, eyes closed tightly and his hair starting to turn lighter. Laughing Jack's expression was blank, his silver blue eyes wide as he looked on at something in the grass ahead of him. The raven's stomach churned as he moved passed them, feet feeling like lead weights. "Mary...?" He called out in a soft, desperate voice, moving closer to the shape laying haphazardly in the dirt. Something dark growing around her head, glistening ruby in what little lighting there was. Kneeling down in the growing pool, he reached out with trembling hands, hesitant to touch her. She was laying so oddly, her face turned away from him with her limbs in disarray, damp red strands clinging to her pale features. Nothing look obviously broken. In fact she looked nearly serene if not for the blood spilling out onto the grass from the back of her head, no doubt she had landed it on it...So many things passed through his mind. A billion things she could have broken in the fall, like her neck, spine.

"Mary...? H-hey, come on. Its not time for...for you to go to sleep." The elder teen swallowed thickly, smiling a little, carefully lifting her up a into his arms. "Wake up...Come on! It was just a little fall, you've been through worse." She wasn't moving at all, just dead weight in his hold and it didn't seem like she was breathing either, "M-mary...wake up..." Jeff shook her a little, forgetting about the fact the action could only make this worse. One of his hands held the back of her head, felt the familiar sticky blood coating his fingers. "M-mary...?" Jeffery murmured,  clenching his jaw tightly as he lay his forehead to hers, staring into her face, she was still warm. Smelled like the forest and the heavy scent of copper. "Mary...come on...I-I'm begging you to wake up. You can't...you can't leave me too...Everyone fucking leaves me in the end." He  mumbled in a soft, bitter voice that was hoarse with unshed tears. "W-we're friends right? You said that...that you could see the real me. I don't understand...What did you even mean? I-I'm just a monster...S-so why?" The raven swallowed thickly, shaking his head, "I've killed dozens of people...so why...why does this hurt so much? Why do I even care that your might not wake up?"

The raven was trying to wrap his head around this feeling, like knives ripping up his inside. This despair he hadn't felt in years, not since he had thought he had killed Liu. Where was it even coming from?! Jeff whispered her name again, pulling her body against his own, not even noticing the blood soaking his clothes. He didn't care about that. All Jeffery wanted in that moment was to understand this burning in his heart, this pain and ache so similar to the one he had felt whilst holding his brothers dying form that now presented itself whilst holding Mary. "Please, I'll...I'll do anything you want if you just open your damned eyes!"  He nearly chocked on the words as he felt the tears coming on, rolling hot and heavy against his will.

Silence....and then...There was a tiny cough a few seconds after he said it, the sound was a sweeter relief than he had ever known before as he lifted his head to look at her face properly. Mary whimpered very faintly, opening her one good eye to gaze up at him, the color foggy with pain. A small smile slowly curving her blood stained lips as she opened her mouth to try and speak, "B-but...I...only...have one."

Jeff was shaking with the force of his relief, letting out a strangled laugh, "Fuck...I don't care. Just...Just stay with me, please?" He swallowed against the lump in his throat, somewhere behind him he heard someone mumble something in shock and the sound of retreating feet. "Stay with her kiddo! We're going to go get help!" The shorter raven didn't need to be asked, "Just hurry the hell up!" Jeff called over his shoulder at L.J's retreating form.

Mary was struggling to even breath, let alone keep her eye open, "It...hurts...to breath..." She chocked out, almost crying out when he shifted her weight, the elder teen grimacing. "Just keep breathing, okay? L.J and Jason went for help, just stay awake!" She whimpered, squeezing her eye shut against a wave of pain as he gently lay her down in the grass, shrugging out of his hoodie and rolling into a ball. Despite being careful, she ended up nearly screaming when he put it under her head. It was quiet for a few minutes, the only sound was Mary's rattled breathing and the rain falling down steadily.

"I...I'm sorry..."

Jeffery blinked, confused as he looked down at the red head, meeting that single green eye. "What...?" Mary opened her mouth to say more, but he shook his head, reaching out still slightly shaking fingers to take one of her hands. She barely had the strength to squeeze back when he gripped it, "I should be the one apologizing...so just don't okay?" He turned his blue eyes away, heaving a small breath, "I don't...I don't understand any of this. I don't know how to act or feel or...I don't understand what's happening." The elder teen pulled his knees up, his free hand pulling at his wild hair, a nervous tick he had developed to deal with stress a few years ago, not something he did often. Not something he did in front of others. Glaring off at nothing, he pondered all this, trying to work it out in his head somehow. 

The red head tried to grip his hand a little tighter, gaining his attention again at the very least, "...I don't...either..." She murmured coughing afterward, the sound harsh, for the first time in his life he was horrified at the sight of the blood that splattered the material of his hoodie where she lay. The raven watched her a long while, jaw tight as he chose his words. "I want...I want to understand." He looked away a second, nervously, why was he nervous?! Mary nodded slowly, mouthing some sort of agreement, "But you have to live through this or neither of us ever will!" He nearly yelled the words, his body stiff, before he forced himself to calm back down. Taking a few deep breaths. The calm lasted seconds, melding again to panic when her grip on his hand went slack again. Blue eyes darted to her face, seeing her green eye falling shut, the color fading. "Mary...? Hey! Wake up, come on!"

Jeff let out a vicious curse, shaking her has hard as he dared when her eye fell shut completely, the smallest whimper leaving her but nothing more. She was slipping away and fast. He had killed enough people to see the signs of it.

He was losing her.

Gritting his teeth he lifted her into his arms, getting to his feet, the others were taking too long. He would have to meet them half-way or she would be gone by the time they made it back! Being mindful of her head on his shoulder he ran through the trees, dodging rocks, limbs, fallen logs. The distance seemed to grow longer rather than shorter, her breathing growing fainter and fainter in his ears. His heart crashing against his rib cage like it was trying to hack its way through the bone and flesh of his chest.

Ahead he could make out a large shape moving past, crying out to it without thinking, hoping whatever or whoever could help. Luck was on his side it seemed, seeing the faceless white head turn toward him. Slender's body language said he was surprised to see the raven, "What is it child...? What has happened?!"

Jeff came to an abrupt stop, panting and trying to get the words out, but it was garbled jumble of none sense. "Cliff...knife...Liu... ** _fuck_**... **dying!** " He coughed a few times, the damp and chill in the air chocking him. "Come, let us get her back to the house." Jeff only nodded, allowing the creature to do whatever it was that would transport them directly in front of the house, moving forward as soon as they were there. And just in time for Laughing Jack and E.J to come running out, Jason close behind him. No one wasted any time with questions, heading straight inside, "Put her on the kitchen table and someone grab a towel and some water!" Eyeless Jack instructed expertly, he was generally the go to for anyone having a major injury.

The raven teen sat the red head down, placing her on her side. She was totally limp, skin starting to become chilled, he couldn't even hear the rattle of her breathing anymore. Eyeless Jack was saying something, mumbling about this or that, complaining about things as he worked.  The noise distracting, but not nearly enough as Jeff paced to and fro. It took a few tries for the masked brunette to get his attention, "Jeff...YO JEFF!"

"What?! Yes...?!"

"You need to try and wake her back up if you can, by any means! She probably has a major concussion from the fall and if we can't wake her up and keep her awake at least an hour she might slip into a coma." Jeff didn't move for a moment or two, scrambling to think of how to wake her again, talking had only gone so far earlier. Jason moved, out of the corner of his eye, a little closer. "I could try to-"

His heart beat like a lead weight as he sank into a chair, facing her. Taking one of her hands without even noticing it at first. "I've got this!" The teen growled, reaching out and taking the red headed girls hand more firmly, turning her arm so her wrist was up. "What are you going to-Jeez ah fuck! Jeff!" Laughing Jack sucked in a sharp breath, turning away instantly. Jeff scratched her, **hard** with his nails down the inside of her arm, leaving bright red welts. The sudden shock seemed to work. Mary gasped and whimpered, groggily open her one good eye, struggling to focus. "Come one, stay awake! You can't sleep yet!" He was shouting, he knew he was, his voice a pitch higher than normal. Mary whimpered once more, flinching and crying out suddenly when E.J did something to the back of her head, the masked boy muttering an apology. 

The next hour was slow going and hellish, more than once Jeffery had to repeatedly scratch the red head to wake her up again, making the entire room cringe. The scratches went from welts to actual cuts, his fingers coated in fresh blood that was a stark contrast to his pale skin. The rest of the night was spent much the same. Even after Eyeless Jack confirmed she was out of danger of bleeding out, thank the stars someone in that house kept medical supplies for any emergencies, they still needed to wake her every hour to make sure she didn't end up in a coma. 

The raven teen wasn't even sure at what point someone brought him his sleeping mask, the little blindfold thing he had to wear in order so actually sleep, because he was sitting at Mary's bedside the entire night. But eventually he decided to try and sleep a little, laying his head on his arms at the edge of the bed, leaned over in the chair he had pulled up.

* * *

 

It was sometime in the morning that Eyeless Jack came into the room to wake Mary, again, though this time she was more coherent than she had been most the night. Her single green eye lifted to the boy with the red brown hair, frowning a moment when she noticed he wasn't wearing the blue mask, unable to register whom she was looking at for several seconds. "E.J?" She murmured hoarsely, the boy lifted a discolored finger to his lips and nodded before pointing beside her, "Try not to wake him up..."

Mary gazed at the head of tangled black hair, surprise melting into something warm and soft. _'Has he been here all night?'_ She wondered, getting that weird gooey feeling inside she really didn't understand. "That's literally the most docile I've ever seen him." Eyeless Jack commented, sitting on the foot board of her bed, one leg pulled up to his chest. The red head looked up at him curiously, "You and L.J act like he's constantly crazy or mean..."

He shrugged in reply, "When he lived here before he was, no ones really talked to him the past year. Before, he was just this really angry kid when Slenderman brought him here. I think he was fourteen at the time, he had killed his entire family at that point for shits sake, he was completely mental. He attacked Laughing Jack when the clown tried to bring him 'Welcome' cookies the third day after he got here, hid behind his bedroom door and waited till L.J was in the room and pounced him!" Eyeless Jack explained to the red headed teen who grimaced a little, glancing down at the raven who was softly snoring. "Liu said he killed his family too...there must have been a trigger, right? No one...no one is born a monster. They don't just wake up and decide to do something like that."

E.J said nothing for a few minutes, staring at her, before turning away. "Your right. No one is born a monster. We all have our stories, our own reasons for murder." He affirmed, nodding as he got up, "Get some rest, I'm pretty sure your in the clear now. I'll bring you something for the pain in a little while." Mary's only reply was a soft smile, she didn't dare nod, her head was already throbbing enough without the movement. 

Laying there awhile, she drifted in and out of sleep, turning on her side at some point with a bit of difficulty. Groggily she watched the raven at her bedside, wondering what had in fact driven him to murder. Made him kill his own family. Would he tell her if she asked? Did it really matter...? Humming softly, she lifted a hand, laying it gently on the top of his head as she drifted back into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

 

In Jeff's mind he dreamed of a time long past, of his home from what seemed so long ago. The semi-peaceful household, the false sense of being loved by his parents...Of himself and Liu. How close they had once been, before that fatal incident that had broken his entire view of the world into crumbling, burning pieces. They all sat up on a green hill, beneath the shade of a blossoming tree, blue skies and fluffy white clouds stretched out above as far as the eye could see. Somewhere in the sweet, sugar coated dream another figure appeared near the grassy knoll he was seated on with Liu and his parents, standing out in the wild flowers like some sort of ethereal vision. 

Twenty feet away, slowly turning in the field, her shoulder length red hair dancing in the breeze, was Mary. Sweet, kind, serene, ever miserable Mary. Her eyes were closed, a smile turning up the corners of her lips as she danced in the flowers. Face clear of scars, as his and Liu's were as well. Like they had once been, all of them as if none of the horror had happened. The brunette smiled over at his younger brother, motioning him to follow, he stood to go to her. But got no more than a few feet, a hand grabbing his own, making him look back in confusion. His mother shook her head, "Jeffery...I'm only concerned for you...you know no one will love you looking like that." She told him, his blue eyes going wide, hurt swimming in them. "What?"

"What's the matter Jeff? What's going on?" Liu asked suddenly, making the teen turn toward him, almost jumping back at the sight of the stitches and scars that moments ago had not been there. "Liu...?!"

"Its okay Jeffery...both of you...just go to sleep." His mother said and this time when he looked at her his heart stopped. Blackend blood poured from her mouth, her smiling face half rotten. He gasped, putting a hand to his lips and looking to his father, feeling sick when he saw he too looked like a shambling rotten corpse. A gaping hole in his chest wriggled with worms and insects, his eyes sunken and skin like ash. "Liu?!" He chocked on his brothers name, turning to the younger Woods boy once more, but he wasn't there. Looking around the hill he didn't see him at all. A flash and then the hillside was up in flames, the fire licking up up his parents bodies and swallowing them as Jeff backed away slowly, shaking his head. "No....No..." Frantically, he turned toward the field, searching for the red headed girl. 

The field was no longer full of flowers, the once blue sky now black, an endless pool of crimson stretched out before him. Mary stood in it, in the same spot she had been dancing. She now stared at the ground, her expression impossible to read from so far away. Stumbling forward, reaching out toward her, he cried out to her, but his voice failed him. Time and time again he tried to reach her, but it felt as if hands were holding him back. He could feel the smile cutting itself into his cheeks as if he was cutting them right then and there. The warm, sticky blood flowing down his chin to join the massive pool. Jeff could **taste** the copper flavor of it. The red head slowly lifted her face to him, lifting her hand out for him to take. He was so close he could feel the warmth of her fingers tips on his own...

And then, just like that, it was black. He gasped in shock, panicking for a few seconds, before slowly coming awake fully. The raven's body shaking softly in the aftermath of the violent nightmare, it wasn't the first time he had dreamed something strange or crazy like that. But something about this one left him feeling weak. Swallowing thickly, he started to lift his head. But felt a weight on it, frowning behind the scared smile on his face, he dislodged an arm from under his head and lifted a hand to whatever it was. 

To his shock it was someone else's hand. Curious, he carefully pushed the mask up from his eyes, resting it on his forward and looking up through his hair. Lifting his head slightly to do so. Mary snuggled into her pillow a little more, half curled near where he lay, face peaceful. For a moment he didn't know what to do. What to think. _'Why is she...touching me?'_ He wondered curiously, eyes softening a little, letting out a little sigh of slight frustration. There was that weird feeling again.

Moving her hand as gently as possible, Jeffery sat back, fishing his eye drops from his pockets and using them. Setting them on the night stand as he leaned back in his chair, watching her a few minutes. The sound of the door knob turning caught his attention, making him look back. Narrowing his eyes slightly when he saw Liu standing there, the brunette didn't dare look up from the floor. "The hell do you want, Liu?"

It was quiet a few minutes, before the taller spoke, "I...I was wondering if she was alright." Jeff made a rude noise in the back of his throat, "Define _alright_ Liu? She fell off a fucking cliff! E.J said she's out of risk of _dying_ , but we don't know what sort of permanent damage the fall might have caused!" Liu flinched a hair at his brothers tone, the raven getting to his feet making the brunette step backward, closer to the wall, to his exist at the door. "The hell was wrong with you, huh? Your supposed to be her friend, but you turn around and try to kill her?!"

"I'm not the one who turned her into a serial killer! Who drug her into this hellish world we're forced to live in because you couldn't control your fucking anger!" Liu suddenly shouted, the raven taken aback for only a second or two, "Screw you! You know I couldn't control it!"

"The hell you couldn't! You didn't need to kill them or me or-"

"I WASN'T THINKING! OKAY?! FUCK!" Jeff screamed at Liu who immediately stopped talking, staring wide eyed at his slightly shorter elder brother, "I don't even remember most of that night Liu...All I can remember is little drifting conversations and blinding pain. I remember standing in front of the bathroom mirror staring at my reflection in fucking disgust, thinking about how much it fucking hurt to smile let alone be alive!" Jeffery growled out, hands lifted to grip his tangled hair, "I remember mom talking about home schooling me because I was disfigured, how the neighbors would all _talk_ if I was to go out in public! That I was going to be a fucking **pariah** and no one would want to ever come near me again. I just blacked out when she came into the bathroom, I can only just recall the way she looked at me that night, that mixture of disgust and fear on her face. Its haunted me every fucking night since I killed her and dad."

His fingers slipped from his hair, dropping to grip his arms, eyes hidden in the fringe of his hair as that eerie smile curved his lips. "Y'know I really thought I killed you that night, I don't know how many nights I spent staring at that grave in the cemetery, wishing it had been me. Wishing I had just killed myself and put all of you out of your misery..." Liu still didn't speak, what was he even supposed to say to any of that? This was the most Jeffery had spoken of that night in years, outside of screaming about murdering them and 'himself' and swearing he was a different person.

Neither of them moved. Nothing else was said for some time, it was nearly silent in the room. Jeffery was unaware of the presence behind him and Liu couldn't see around his brother, hadn't noticed movement minutes before as he had been transfixed on his bother. Likely the younger noticed Mary before the elder, only because he saw her arms appear a second before she wrapped them around Jeff's middle. Her limbs shook softly, no doubt from the pain and the weakness in her battered body.

The raven's wide blue eyes lifted from the shadows, surprise written all over his face as he looked down at those shaking arms, bandaged in places from the recent trauma in the woods. "Mary...?" Confusion out weighed the shock as he turned his head slightly, trying to peer over his shoulder at her, he could feel her bury her face in the back of his black t-shirt. "How long have you been awake...?" He breathed out the question, standing there stiffly, afraid to move for fear of hurting her further. 

She shook her head slightly, shuddered and sniffled with a tiny whimper, "S-since you started yelling..." The red head finally managed to say, hugging him just the littlest bit tighter for a second or two. He could tell it was taking everything in her to do it and he wanted to tell her to stop, get back in bed...but couldn't get the words to his mouth. "I understand...how it feels...to stare into that mirror...t-to feel like no one sees anything else but a disgusting monster...But you can't...you can't wish for death." Mary cried softly, breath hitching when she shook her head again, "Y-you can't ever wish for that...B-because no matter how many people see you as a monster. No matter how hard it seems to be to keep breathing. Someone... _SOMEONE_ still wants you around. _Needs_ you around..." Jeff opened his mouth to reply, lowering his hands from his own arms to hers, but froze at her next words. "You can't let those people win...their the real monsters."

Liu and Jeffery's eyes met for a moment, the taller letting out a sigh, before leaving the room. Leaving them alone. "Mary...I'm not...Look, you don't gotta worry about me, alright?" He told her, cautiously turning around, her arms loosening until she nearly let go, but her hands clung to the edges of his shirt at his sides. He watched her a moment, couldn't make out her eye for the fall of red hair in her face. She was shaking in the loose t-shirt someone had put her in, the bandages that clung tightly around her in places standing out against her pale skin, she looked so much smaller and frailer than she already normally did to him. Jeff had this uncharacteristic urge to hug her, but this nagging fear of hurting her ate at his heart and mind like a cancer he had never felt before meeting Mary. 

The raven let out another sigh, running a hand through his wild hair, "You need to rest Mary...We'll talk about it later, alright?" To his surprise she nodded, slowly letting go. The red head stepped back, swaying dangerously, enough that he reached toward her to steady her almost at once. Helping the younger back to bed he pulled the blankets over her, reminding himself a little of this time he had tucked Liu in after his baby brother had had a nightmare once, it felt so long ago now. The feeling here, with her, wasn't the same either. "You look sad..." Mary's words drew him from whatever place his mind had dragged him, focusing on her once again, on the green eye gazing up at him with concern and...he wasn't sure what that was in her eyes. Wasn't sure wither to trust it..."Nah, just got a lot on my mind....I'm...I'm going to get a bite to eat, you want anything?"

She shook her head a bit, closing her eyes and relaxing into her pillows with a gentle sigh, "No, thank you..." He hesitated a moment or several, watching her uncertainly, before tearing himself away to go down stairs for a bit. She was alive. She was going to be fine...right? No more crazy shit was going to happen.

He hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took so long to get out. Nearly to the end of writing the first draft I got the sudden idea to write my own version of Jeff's origins, which is up and available to read if anyone is interested. I meant to have this done days ago. >w< I am so so sooooo sorry everyone! I also have a small bit of bad news, I'm preparing to go to a convention {Anime-Fest} in a little over a week, so the next chapter will likely be majorly delayed as well. TTwTT The convention is four days long and I'll need time to rest afterward, so its likely going to be about two weeks before I can update. Again I am soooo sorry! That being said, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and have enjoyed the story thus far. I really appreciate the kudos! And love to hear what you guys think thus far, so feel free to drop me a comment, I'm always happy to reply!


	7. Candy Coated Nightmare PT. 1

It was dark at first, the dream she was having. She didn't know how she knew she was dreaming exactly...only that she was aware she was sleeping. Everything felt surreal. Mary found herself standing in a small circle of dim light, the radius of which appeared to be about ten or so feet. The ground was the first thing to catch her attention, it seemed to be made up of large tiles, alternating from dingy white to equally grimy red. It wasn't clean by a long shot and looked in need of a good mopping. Lifting her single green eye, she peered into the darkness curiously, seeing nothing for a long time and assuming at first she must be alone.

She wasn't scared, not really. In fact she felt almost at peace there, though the peace felt...transparent. Edgy in a way, like it would shatter at any moment. It was like she was standing on thin ice over a frozen lake waiting to fall in and drown. The teen's eye caught movement that pulled her from her revere, again focusing on the darkness before her and to Mary’s surprise a hand appeared from it. A blue gloved hand, thin metal bangles dangling from the wrist of whomever it was, in their fingers was grasped the string of a balloon. It wasn't a large balloon, the one that now bobbed in front of her lazily, maybe as big as her head. Bright purple in color and shiny with a smiley face on it. Over all very pleasant to look at, yet it made her uneasy seeing it and she could not explain why. So the teen ignored the feeling at first.

"Would you like a balloon?"

The voice that drifted out of the shadows was deep, like crushed velvet or melted chocolate and sounded so invitingly sweet as it spoke in such a low tone that it might have normally set anyone else at ease. A set of violet eyes peered out of the blackness at Mary, who gazed back steadily, curiously. Uncertainly, she reached out to take the string being held toward her, but hesitated a second or two...a sense of foreboding washing over her. The closer her fingers got to that balloon the more the feeling intensified.

"What's the matter...?"

The teen didn't answer, found she couldn't. Mary really didn't know what was wrong with the scene, honestly nothing really seemed immediately amiss. The circle of light expanded a bit as if it was trying to settle her unease, revealing better the figure in the darkness who held the balloon. He was tall, taller even than Laughing Jack by several inches, of whom she was reminded for only a second. He had wild blue hair up in a ponytail that separated into three smaller tails, bells dangling from the ends of each, dancing every time he moved and filling the silence with the gentlest music. The blue haired man's skin was pale, more grayish blue than white, his lips painted blue black and his eyes outlined in the same with small circles beneath on his cheeks in a slightly lighter shade. His clothes where an array of bright colors, blues, pinks, reds, all seeming to gleam and glow like neon. More bells dangled from different places on his clothes, some large and some very small, making tiny sounds that filled the air in the circle of light to join together with the sound emitting from the ones in his hair to create a soft symphony. He sounded like a living music box.

Yet despite the merry appearance something about this blue haired jester set Mary off, he seemed so...familiar. Like she had seen him before somewhere, a long time ago. He tilted his head to the right, smiling at her still, it appeared to be a calm and welcome look. Yet his eyes spoke otherwise, she couldn't place the emotion in the neon violets, but it seemed dark to her. Dangerous.

"Come, float away. Take my hand, flow like sand, leave behind all this barren wasteland. Let me save the day…?"

His eyes glowed just a bit brighter, he looked at her expectantly, the words almost sing-songish. The tune familiar, each syllable ringing tiny bells in the back of the girls mind. A memory floating foggily to the surface, it must have been when she was six years old, sitting in a hospital waiting room. The day her father was diagnosed with cancer, told he wouldn't live much longer. She could recall feeling very sad, empty, as she sat on a bench waiting on her mother and father to return from talking in the next room. Kicking her small feet to and fro lazily, watching them but not seeing them as she did her best not to out right cry. And then she saw a new set of shoes before her, ones with curled toes and small bells on them. The figure had been very tall, all colorful, holding a...a  _ purple balloon _ .

Mary's single eye went wide, lifting up from where she had looked away, meeting those violet eyes again. This time she knew she had met him before, she was certain of it now. The teen opened her mouth to speak, but the words never had the chance to come. The jester frowned, the world fading away to darkness as Mary slowly awoke from her strange dream with a sense of foreboding…

 

* * *

"Jason...I'm not sure about this. What if someone recognizes me?" Mary sighed tiredly, following the redhead into his workshop. He waved off the concern easily, pointing to the work bench he used to make his dolls after placing a step stool beside it, "Nonsense, once I'm through not even your mother would recognize you! Now get up there and sit down." The redhead did as she was told, wincing a little when she sat down. Still pretty sore and stiff from the fall several days back, though healing alarmingly fast, she was still supposed to be taking it easy. Just in case it was a fluke or something.

And since she was feeling better Jason had gotten the sudden idea to go into town, just the two of them, to do a bit of shopping for supplies he needed. Why he was taking her out of everyone in the house was a mystery and the teen was apprehensive to be going into town in the daytime either way, given she was officially wanted now. It also didn't help that Mary was exhausted after the dream she had woken from earlier that morning. It had left her antsy and frustrated for answers, something about it had felt like so much more than a dream. And the blue haired jester she had seen had reminded her very much of something or someone important, but she simply couldn't put a finger on whom or what. Which left her all the more restless.

"What are you going to do?"

The up side to the past several days at least was that Mary had at least been able to talk to Jeff a bit more, nothing really more serious than idle chatter about recent events or him telling her little things about himself when she asked. Like the fact he had moved to Rosswood when he was fourteen, which from what little he had told her was before he had ended up a killer. But the subject was swiftly dropped when she had mistakenly asked what his parents had been like.

Jeff had stayed close for most of the time over the past several days as she lay in bed and had only gone home that morning after she assured him she was fine and feeling better. The redhead wasn't entirely sure why he was so worried, so tentative toward her all of a sudden. It was almost like he felt guilty or something. Maybe it had to do with the cuts on her arm? Jeff had explained to her what he had done, since she clearly couldn't recall much of what happened after passing out the second time at the cliff. The younger teen had told him repeatedly it was okay, but he kept fussing over the marks until she had eventually  _ asked _ him to go home in self defense, get some rest of his own. Chalking the strange behavior up to simply being over tired. Mary shook herself from her distracted thoughts, looking over at the toy maker moving about his workshop.

Jason was rummaging in the drawers of a cabinet he kept much of his smaller supplies in, "I'm going to make you a disguise, just trust me alright? I know what I'm doing!" He chuckled at her, "Ahah! Found it!" From a tiny drawer he pulled a small, round glass object that glittered faintly in the light. When he came toward her she realized it was a dolls eye about the same size as a normal human one, in a shade of green very similar to her own and her good eye went wide with wonder. Without much word he gently took her face in his free hand, tilting her head back to see the left side better, brushing her hair aside. For a breath he simply stared into her one good eye, seeming to be contemplating something, before smiling in that way that said he was trying to be comforting. "You know, I think you're rather lovely without it...the second eye I mean." He said in a calm voice as he pulled at the scar tissue around the gaping whole in her face in order to stretch it out a bit more, issuing a tiny hiss of pain from the redhead who did her very best not to flinch. Some places around the area were still healing a bit.

Mary knew far worse pain than this, she could take it. The toymaker gently began working the eye in, pushing at the little ball and stretching her eye open a bit wider when needed. Before long she felt a weight in her once empty socket, indicating it was now occupied. Jason fidgeted with it a time longer before humming with satisfaction as he stood back to admire his work. The teen blinked a few times, it felt very strange having that thing in the socket, very foreign since it had been empty so long. "I think you said something like that before...But thank you, I'm glad someone sees me as something besides a monster." She replied softly, sighing a bit as she blinked a few more times, rubbing the fake eye. When Mary looked up Jason was looking at her oddly, before he turned away and retrieved a few things from his shelves. "Whom has ever thought of you as a monster? I know humans are cruel, but surely no one has really..." He trailed off when he looked at her again.

The teen wasn't sure what he saw, but she turned away after a second with a feeling of self-loathing shame, hanging her head as she let out a deep sigh. "My mother mostly...she's the only one who ever directly called me that..." The younger redhead let out a bitter laugh, "Ever since I was small and could talk she called me that...all because I was different. She hated that I was so unlike my siblings. They were all a lot older than me you know...My sister, the youngest before me, was already in her thirties when I was born. I think she hated me the most."

It was quiet a moment, the silence filled only by the soft fall of the toy maker's boots across the floor and the gentle thunk of the box he sat down beside her. "Why did she hate you...?" He asked of Mary, who looked up at the soft coaxing of his cool fingers against her chin, allowing him to work on her face once more. "Because I could see things she didn't and I liked talking about what I saw."

"Oh?"

"Heh, yeah, when I was five we went out on a drive. My mother, sister, myself and my cousin, Amy. We passed this old, burned out house on the edge of town and I remember telling them how I died there once..." Jason's hands, which had been carefully applying what Mary could only assume was make up, stilled at her words. She didn't seem to notice, but he noticed the look in her eyes, the deadening color as the girl buried whatever emotion had tried to surface. She looked as if she had no soul left in them at all, as lifeless as one of his many dolls. He found the expression unnerving in a way he never had before. "I remember it...the house before it burned, even then...I was happy in that life I think...But I died when the house caught fire. The worst thing I think was when I told them that Amy had been my sister who had died with me...Sissy thought I was planning to hurt Amy who's only a little older than me. She told mother to put me into a mental hospital..."

Mary smiled softly but the expression held little emotion, just the tiniest glimmer of fondness mixed into deep sorrow, "I think she might have done it, if my dad hadn't stopped her, he would never have let it happen. I told him the same thing and he told me I was special...that other people would never understand it. So I tried not to tell my mother those things again. Looking back at it now...I think he accepted the things I saw so easily because he was so close to death himself...He got sick the next year see? He lived a lot longer than they told him he would...I think he kept going because he knew mother might do something to me otherwise."

Silence again, Jason continued working, picking up different little brushes with different colors. She felt like a doll being painted, which felt strange and yet kind of nice. It felt like being cared for. And then, very quietly, the teen spoke again. "Do you think I'm crazy...?"

The toy maker glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, his lip turning up in the corner, "Not at all..." He replied evenly as he went about what he was doing, beginning to put things away again, finished it seemed with that part. Looking about the cabinets and drawers once more. "I had an imaginary friend when I was six...I met him at the hospital the day my dad was told he was going to die." He glanced over his shoulder at her, raising a brow in silent question. She wasn't really sure why she was talking about it, it was like she was compelled to, like she  _ wanted _ him to think she was insane. To confirm what the felt inside to be true, what her her mother had been whispering to her for years. The red headed girl was fidgeting, playing with her fingers, tugging a bit at a length of her hair near her shoulder. Letting out a nervous laugh, "The thing is I didn't make him up, at least I don't think I did. Y-y'know I forgot about him until recently, very recently actually...It's funny...I've never liked balloons, at all, or the color purple in fact. I had a balloon explode in the car once when I was little and it burned my arm because it popped so close to me. H-he always offered me balloons! And got really upset when I wouldn't take them, he would beg and beg me to take them, tell me all sorts of nonsense about them! He used to get so angry and I remember being so scared of him, that’s when J-"

"Mary!"

She jumped at the sudden shout, realizing she had gone from talking to hysterically yelling about the balloons and the stranger jester. For the briefest moment before Jason had stopped her an image of brilliant colors had crossed her mind, a kind smile and the smell of blue raspberry, then it was gone and forgotten just a suddenly. Jason’s voice echoed quietly after she stopped screaming. Mary stared wide eyed at him for several breathless moments. He stared back a moment, before smiling as if nothing at all was strange about how she was acting, "He sounds like a nightmare rather than a friend, are you certain he was ever your friend and not some sort of tormentor?" He asked her calmly as he came toward her with a wig, sitting it next to her as he put her hair up expertly with pins. Mary did not reply at first, didn't know how to, thinking about it. "I...well...He never hurt me...And he did sometimes play games with me. I remember him singing to me once when I was really upset after something my mother did while my dad was at work..." The teen frowned deeply, sadly, trying hard to pull that memory forward. It was so hazy, "He told me he could save me if I took one of the balloons. But then he just stopped coming around...around the time my dad passed away. I was eleven."

"Well he wasn't a good friend then either way. Good friends don't just walk out when it's clear their friend is in need of them. I would never do such a thing on you." Jason said with an upturn of his nose, looking miffed a moment that someone had done such a thing to her, before he smiled brightly. "We're best friends, right?"

Mary smiled slightly, letting out a little giggle as she nodded, "Yeah, best friends forever!" Moments later Jason stepped back and pointed to an antique mirror sitting in the corner, "Take a look, I bet you won't recognize even yourself!" He told her cheerfully, helping her from the work table so she could go look. And sure enough Mary did not recognize herself, not one single bit, outside the clothes she had put on that morning. A simple gray sweater and jeans. She now had mousy brown hair that hung in cute little ringlets around her shoulders and face, two slightly mismatched green eyes and a face pale and free of scars. In fact if one wasn’t looking really close they would easily miss the damage to her left eyelid. The teen even had a normal color to her cheeks that she lacked even on good days, looking healthier than she had in many years. "That's amazing! Jason you're brilliant!" The now brunette praised the red headed toy maker who gave a dramatic, sweeping bow before straightening up. "Why thank you! Now, shall we depart?"

"Heh, sure!"

* * *

 

The store they chose was in the next town over from Rosswood, in a place called Evergreen Springs. Another small town, though larger than Rosswood by a fair amount. The store itself was one of those large, super market type places that had nearly everything one could think of. Jason complained about it though, about how he missed the old fashioned stores with their small charms and hand made work. "People today just don't know what they're missing!" He sighed heavily as they moved about the arts and crafts department, gathering the supplies the toy maker needed. Mary stifled a little laugh, "You sound like an old man Jason...There haven't been little family run type stores in a very long time, I don't even think I've seen one outside anime or tv." She pointed out, to which he pouted in annoyance at her.

"I used to run one...It must have been centuries ago now. I suppose that does make me rather old..." He mused with another sigh, this time sounding a bit sad, "Humans ruin everything, truly." The teen at his side said nothing to the statement, it wasn’t as if she could argue, instead she was wondering about the shop he claimed to have owned. No doubt a toy store, all cluttered with dolls and puppets on string like his workshop now, it must have been magical. One could almost imagine soft music box tunes playing in the background, like the gentle twinkling of bells. "I can't find the buttons I need..." He mumbled after a moment and Mary smiled brightly, moving to the end of the aisle and looking about, "I'll go ask someone! Maybe they’re just on a different aisle!"

"Don't wander too far!"

"I won't!" The teen laughed a little, dismissing the toymaker’s concern. Nothing could possibly happen here, not in a crowded store, right?. Heading down a different aisle, she tried to locate the buttons or a clerk, whichever came first. It ended up being the buttons she found first, glancing over the different variety of them in their little packages, uncertain which ones Jason actually needed. "Oh, damn, what color did he say...?" She wondered out loud, staring at the items on the little pegs, hoping to remember. Motion to her right caught her attention after a moment, seconds before a familiar voice reached her. Though the familiarity did not register at first.

"Looking for something special?"

"Ah, yes and no. I was just trying to reme...mber...what..." The words trailed off as the 'brunette' lifted her eyes to the man beside her, wearing the stores employee uniform, recognizing at once the all too recognizable side swept black hair and steel gray eyes of her former classmate long before she read his name tag. The teen felt her heart cease to beat for several seconds. Cory Steel. The most popular boy in her school...and the boy who had lead her to her ruin that day several weeks ago now stood before her like the universe was teasing her. Mary was frozen, her whole body rigid as she stared up into the taller teens eyes. Terrified, depressed, and angry all at once. Heart beating a confused, erratic rhythm that pounded violently against her rib cage and threatened to end her all together. What did she do?! What  **_could_ ** she do?!

Cory raised a confused brow at her, waving a hand in front of the shorter individuals face, which only succeeded in making her jerk back like an animal scared of being struck. He too flinched from the sudden movement, seeming even more confused, "Ah, you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." He said, before smirking a bit, getting this look in his eyes that might have made any other girl swoon. It made Mary feel sick. The raven leaned a bit too close for comfort, causing Mary to press herself into the shelves a bit,  "Aw, don't be scared, I won't bite. Unless you want me to that is..." He teased her in a sultry tone that only made her stomach churn more violently. Cory took her left hand in his own, holding tight when she attempted to jerk away. Pulling a marker from his pocket he scrawled something on her palm hastily, "There. Call me some time cutie! I'll show you the best places in town!" He grinned as he let go at last, “Oh, and I get off in twenty minutes.” Cory continued with a wink, clearly assuming her nervous behavior for something completely different than what it was. Mary took a step away from him, backing into something warm and hard that smelled subtly of wood and paint.

A large hand laying itself on her shoulder, she didn't need to look to know who it was, even before he spoke. Half turning toward him, shaking like a leaf, the teen did her best not to cry like she wanted to. Or strike out at the boy across from them with the smug look on his face. It was truly a good thing neither herself or Jason had any weapons on them at the moment or she might have made Cory’s death a very public display. "There you are, I was starting to worry you got lost my dear." Jason piped out in a falsely cheerful voice, his grip on her shoulder tightening so much she could feel his nails biting at her skin through the material of her sweater but the pain was welcome. It helped to ground her erratic thoughts. Cory smiled brightly, laughing a bit, "Aha~ She's a bit out of it I think. I was asking her what she was looking for and she totally clammed up."

Jason titled his head a little, his stance stiff, but only Mary noticed this. To anyone else the toymaker would appear completely at ease. Cory had no clue whom either of them were, to him they were harmless shoppers..."Yes, well I've found what I was looking for. Shall we go dear? You look a bit under the weather." The red headed toy maker said, turning her with him to walk away without another word to unwitting boy staring after them, waiting until they were out of sight of the teen worker to speak again, Jason dropped the false joy. "What did he do?" The elder being asked her in a grave tone, turning her to face him, but she didn't look up from the floor.

Her right hand was curled around the left, nails digging in sharply, little cuts forming around her nails and allowing tiny drops of blood to be freed from her skin to drip silently to the tiled floor. The teen couldn't find words at first, she just stood there, opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water. He was patient as he lead her to the check out, not pushing it more till they were outside once more in the rare mid-day sunlight that did very little to warm the chilled damp air. "If you don't tell me I'm going to assume it was something bad and use him as doll stuffing or a new puppet."

Mary's fingers twitched as her body came to a jerky stop, "Don't you dare!" The words were growled, angry and threatening, her face contorted in rage for a second or two before she realized what she had said and how. For a second the toy maker could have sworn her right eye had lit like a candle flame, but surely he was mistaken? Blinking, red faced, the girl stammered out an apology. "I-I mean...I just..." The teen shook her head, again trying not to cry, though this time in frustration. Jason gave her a moment, crossing his arms, the shopping bag dangling in one hand. "He's one of the bullies who attacked you." It wasn’t a question, but rather an observation. The man was quick to catch onto things, wasn’t he?

She nodded a little, taking in a shaking breath, "Yes...He-he's the one who lured me to the cafeteria...with a note. I-I...I thought...I thought he liked me. Like a stupid fool! I-I'm so stupid! I trusted him because of his pretty face! So so stupid!" The teen hissed angrily, nails tearing even more into her skin and leaving deep cuts on the back of her left hand, before Jason took her right wrist and pulled it away with a disapproving click of his tongue. "Now now, no need to make more scars." He told her soothingly, practically cooing the words as he lead her forward again, "Well, this changes things. If it bothers you so much I could assist you in exacting your revenge on that boy."

Mary looked up at the red haired toymaker as they walked along the sidewalk, raising a brow in some combination between curiosity and alarm, "But, Slenderman said I can't go on any hunts for awhile. Since I made such a mess with Brendon...I'll need to figure out how to get him too..." She hummed the last bit as an after thought, sighing in annoyance, there was no way to get to either of them at this rate. Somewhere in the back of her mind Jeff’s face filtered into her thoughts, _ ‘...I sort of want him to help me finish this...he did help me start it after all…’  _

"Trust me, no one will see you enter or exit wherever it is you decide to kill them with me helping. I have special ways of getting around. I could show you now if you like! That other boy, Brendon was it? He should be at the hospital, no? We could go there no-"

"NO!" The teen blurted, looking like she had been struck, some mix of excitement and something more animalistic boiled under the surface. "No...Not like this. I want him to  _ know _ it was me...To know  _ exactly _ who killed him." She replied with a crazed look, before it morphed back into quiet contemplation. The teen falling into thought as her companion steered her into an alley between two buildings, not seeming to notice the far away look in her eye, letting the outburst slide. "Very well, shall we go home instead then? We can prepare for this evening if you prefer..." Mary nodded absently, but looked confused as they stopped at a dead end, nothing before them but a brick wall with peeling, moldy posters stuck to it. "Erm...sure but...Huh?!"

To her amazement the wall began to crack and crumble, a large, brightly painted, blue door appearing from absolutely nowhere.The teen blinked, for a moment expecting the door to be just a figment of her imagination or something of that sort, but it remained. Jason opened it for her, stepping aside to allow her in first, like a perfect gentleman. "It'll be so much fun! Best friends out on a proper revenge hunt and-Huh...? Mary?" Jason blinked, looking back to where the ‘brunette’ had been standing seconds ago, only to find the spot empty. Confused and mildly alarmed, he stepped away from the blue door, going back to the empty street and looking about. Mary was nowhere to be found. It was as if she had vanished like some kind of specter…

* * *

Back at Slender’s house the front door burst open with a loud crash, the knob denting a hole in the plaster it hit, a lone figure stomping into the foyer. The air seemed to still with impending violence. Jeff was positively fuming with rage, pale face stained subtle red as he rounded into the living room to find BEN and Toby looking back at him from over the couch. No doubt they had been playing video games, if the controllers they held meant anything. Both of the other boys looked confused as Jeffery pointed an accusing finger their way, his eyes glimmer with fire, “Alright, which one of you fuckers trashed my apartment?! Huh?!”

BEN raised a brow, glancing at Toby and smirking, “As funny as it would have been, it wasn’t me or him, we’ve been here the whole day and I personally haven’t left the house since last week.” The computer ghost replied, Toby nodding beside him, “Yeah, I’ve been here today as well. Sl-slendy had me on patrol yesterday with Masky and the day before with Hoodie, you can ask-ask them!”

The raven narrowed his lidless eyes, “Then who the fuck did it?! Where’s Liu-?” He turned to go up the stairs, spotting his younger sibling with Laughing Jack at the top. The younger teen looked tired, the dark circles under his eyes even darker than normal and the elder boy had no doubt the younger wasn’t getting enough sleep, “It wasn’t me...I don’t even know where you live, remember?” Liu pointed out before his brother could reply, Jeff opened his mouth to say something. Anything. But the words were lost and he shut it again, clenching his fists at his sides. He was still angry with Liu over what had happened to Mary, but if he were honest the anger was misdirected. The raven did not want to admit it was mostly his fault, it was easier blaming someone else.

“Don’t look at me either, I was with Eyeless Jack until a few hours ago hunting. The cops are hot and heavy in town at the moment, no one’s supposed to be out and about without someone with them.” The clown pointed out, tilting his head a bit as he descended the stairs, Liu turning and going back to his room. Jeff’s blue eyes followed his brother a moment, sorrow hidden in the depths of them, before he glanced at L.J. “Speaking of, Splendor is supposed to be bringing Smile home today, isn’t he? Shouldn’t you be there when they arrive?”

Jeffery let out an annoyed sigh, running a hand through his wild hair, his temper dampening a bit. He was still pissed about his apartment getting trashed, but the thought of seeing his beloved dog brightened him a bit, he had intended to come over in the evening with Smile to introduce him to Mary.  _ ‘I wonder if she likes dogs…’ _ He hummed softly in thought, before shaking his head, “Yeah, I guess, but my place was a wreck when I arrived this morning. I figured someone here tore it up as a prank, but if not then someone broke in. Which is way worse…”

Laughing Jack arched a brow over his silver eyes, “Who would want to trash your apartment? Almost no one even knows where it is.” Jeff didn’t answer at first, opening his mouth to reply, but rushed footfalls from upstairs distracted him. Looking up, the pair saw Jason coming down, looking alarmed. L.J immediately stiffened when he saw the Toy Maker alone, assuming the worst, “Where is she?!” He asked as he rushed to the out of breath being the moment he reached the last stair, Jeff raised a brow in confusion. “Wha-Where is who? What’s going on?” The teen asked in bewilderment, approaching the pair with a confused expression on his face.

Jason glanced at the raven teen and then the clown, ignoring the boy in favor of his friend, “I don’t know, she was right there and I looked away for a mere second! It’s as if she vanished into thin air!” The redhead exclaimed to the monochrome man, Jeff narrowed his eyes at the pair, looking between them as he began putting two and two together. Blue eyes glanced around as L.J was asking Jason vague questions about the missing ‘she’ they seemed intent on ignoring him about. Finally Jeffery looked straight at Laughing Jack, his eyes burning with something neither the clown nor the toymaker could place, “Where’s Mary?” The smaller raven asked in a soft, dangerous tone. L.J’s jaw tightened, silvery eyes glancing away to the floor a moment before he met the boy’s before him with a cautious expression. “It’s a bit of a long story kiddo, erm, Jason took her with him into the next town for some light shopping and-”

“She’s missing.” Jason sighed in exasperation, being blunt as ever about it. Jeffrey began pacing, a nervous tick he had developed years ago when he was upset, generally the first stage of a meltdown in his case. Meltdown’s that almost always ended in an ugly mess. “What the hell do you mean she’s missing?!” The teen shouted from the couch he stood near. Earlier that morning, on the way home he had grown antsy and despite having been asked to rest, he simply couldn’t, he felt on edge, jittery. The teen had felt that something about that day wasn’t right and even if his apartment hadn’t been trashed he would likely have returned early to the house to check in before meeting Slpendor. Now he was glad he had come back before cleaning up, though the worry and anger that had drawn him was now doubled, at least this time he could help. He hoped. Just the thought of Mary getting hurt again pissed him off, made him want to cut a smile in Jason’s face for losing her on a simple shopping trip.

“Yes, well, as I said she was right there and when I looked up she was gone. I can only hazard a guess as to where she could have run off too.” The toy maker hummed, crossing long arms over his thin, but toned torso. “I suppose she could have gone after that boy from the store, but I told her I would help her with that, she didn't need to go out solo.”

The front door shut with a click as Eyeless Jack stiffened just beyond the doorway, having walked in just as Jason had said such, his eye sockets widening, his mask was clutched in his right hand. “Mary went after a target?! She's in no condition for such a thing, anyone could overpower her with the right strike to the head!” He exclaimed in worry, Jeff already moving to leave, clearly not wanting to waste more time talking. But L.J grabbed his arm, “Woah there smile child! You can't be seen in daylight!”

“The fuck am I supposed to do then? Sit here and twiddle my fucking thumbs?!” The raven growled, fists balled and ready to punch the ethereal clowns lights out.”We’re wasting time standing around talking about this! She could be going to sleep somewhere!” E.J was the one to come up with a solution, holding out a set of black sunglasses and surgical mask to the paler teen, “Wear these. Last thing we need is someone to see your mug and call the cops.” Begrudgingly Jeff did as he was asked, pulling on the mask and the glasses, tugging his hood up to hide his face better. He turned then to an annoyed Jason, clearly the guy wasn’t pleased about something. Whether it was Mary wandering off or having to deal with Jeff was a good question, “Take me to where you last saw her.” The toy maker made a small noise of displeasure at the demand, a blue door opening up in the wall a few feet from him as he silently motioned toward it, indicating it would take them where needed. Jeffery did not hesitate to open the wooden door, pausing only a second when Toby stood up and said he was coming as well, marching upstairs to get Hoodie and Masky. “I’ll just hold down the ol’ fort, hm?” BEN said with a smirk, leaning over the back of the couch and watching them leave.

The five of them headed into the darkness beyond Jason’s blue door, coming out in a small, empty alley with a few overturned cans and bags of stinking trash. The buzz of flies the only sound in the cool evening air as the boys headed to the end of the alley, looking up and down the empty street. “A-alright! I’ll go this way, Masky and Ho-hoodie can check over that way. Jeff and Jason should ch-check the store!” Toby said, taking charge it seemed, but Jason shook his head with a sneer at the orders. “How about I check the store and Jeff just...I don’t know wait here or something like a good little boy?”

The raven growled furiously, “Fuck that, I’ll check around here and you can just fucking piss off asshole! You're the idiot who lost her, so clearly you're useless!” The teen balled up his fists as the red haired toy maker let out another annoyed sound, shooting him a glowing green glare, “As if! Who's the one who let her fall off a cliff? Oh, thats right, you!”

“Fuck you! That wasn’t my fault!”

“Oh, wasn’t it? You're the one who lead her into this life after all, knowing full well how your brother would react. You knew he would end up attacking her, so in the end can you truly say it wasn’t your fault?” Jason sneered at the raven haired boy who was mere inches shorter, crossing toned arms over his vest clad chest with a triumphant and dark smirk. The teen let out another vicious growl, pulling his knife from its hidden place in the pocket of his hoodie, moving to launch himself at Jason and cut the deepest smile ever into his smug face. 

“Woah! None of that kiddo! We’re wasting too much time, he’s just pushing buttons cause he knows he can.” Came an all too familiar voice, Jason and Jeff looking over in unison at the tall figure coming down the alley. The person looked both familiar and not, with wild black hair and silver blue eyes, pale as a ghost and skinny as a rail wearing a striped sweater and loose slacks and boots to finish the look. Jeffrey gaped a moment, “Laughing Jack…?” He asked in shock as the tall man nodded with a toothy grin, waving his hands in front of him, “Surprised? Bet you didn’t know I could disguise my appearance!”

“Neither did I...How long have you known you could do that?” Jason asked with a raised brow, tilting his head in interest, strands of dark red falling into now dulled green eyes. The anger gone for the time being. L.J shrugged with a flippant wave, “Years, I just don’t use the ability often. Anyway, let's start looking, the others have already gone off while you two were having a lovers quarrel.”

“Fuck you, I would never be that  _ things _ lover!”

“I must agree, this child is hardly my type.”

The pair glared at each other for several moments, before Jeffery finally turned to walk away, flinging the middle finger in Jason’s direction with a grumbled ‘Fuck you’. Once he was around the corner he pulled his hood a bit lower over his face, self-conscious despite the mask and sunglasses. The teen doing his very best to ignore the pounding of his heart, trying in vein to tell himself Mary was fine. She was capable of taking care of herself….

_ ‘Fuck, but she keeps getting hurt! She’s even clumsier than Toby!’ _ He thought dejectedly, feeling like a dark cloud was hovering over his head as he slumped his shoulders and sighed. More and more he wondered if Liu had been right about wanting her to just return to her world, was his decision to help her get revenge, teach her to be a killer, a mistake after all? True she had the spirit for it, the bravado certainly when she was upset enough, a madness that could rival his own. But she was also softer in nature than him, more ruled by her emotions than he had first figured. Jeff couldn’t help wondering if he had been like that in the beginning. Honestly he couldn’t really recall much of that time, those first few years were a blur of anger, anguish, and crippling depression. Hell most days were still that way, just one blured black mess after the next.

Yet being around Mary made him feel strangely calmer, even when they were killing people if felt surreal...oddly...perfect. And certainly more memorable. Like he had found something in her he didn’t even know he was missing until meeting the odd redhead. Though he still couldn’t place the exact feelings he had toward her, he wanted to keep her around, if it was dangerous for her or anyone else he didn’t care.

_ ‘I can protect her...If I can keep her close, she’ll be fine. Just till I figure this shit out…’ _

“Yeah, it’ll be fine. She’s fine….FUCK! Where the hell is she?!” Jeff growled, not noticing the odds looks of passer by as he turned onto a slightly busier street, fists balled in the pockets of his jeans.  The people passing him were just faceless shadows in his mind, background noise so to speak. Though they set him on edge he appeared calm, not that he was fully aware of the involuntary mask, he was focused on locating that familiar head of red hair.

So when someone from the crowd grabbed the sleeve of his hoodie he nearly punched them, whirling around on the person so fast his hood fell and allowed the mess of long black hair to spill out around his shoulders. Bright blue eyes landed on a short figure before him, a girl with disheveled brown hair, clothes torn and messy like she had been in a recent scuffle. For a moment he was confused, angry at the strange girl for grabbing him. Who the hell grabbed a stranger in the crowd? But she lifted her face to look at him, giving him a proper look at her, realization hitting him like a bus full of fucking cement.

“Mary?!” He hissed, grabbing the side of her face and looking into her wide, terrified green eyes. She didn't respond, just stared forward, not really at him or anything at all. It seemed like she must be in shock. It was several moments of quiet urging on Jeff’s part that finally got a sound from her, though not an answer, simply a whimper as tears found their way from her eyes. Washing some of the make-up from her face, the left side staining darkly in red as cuts and scars became once more noticeable. The raven teen bite his lip in something akin to worry, glancing around at the whispering passer by, he needed to get her away from there.

Pulling her to him, hugging her softly in an attempt at comfort, he frowned behind his mask. What had happened to leave her like this? It looked as if she had been in some sort of struggle, though she didn’t appear injured at least. “Come on, let’s get you back to the house.” He mumbled with a soft sigh, glaring behind his glasses at nothing particular as he carefully dislodged the weeping girl from his shoulder, though he kept one arm around her as he lead her away. Once they were off the busy street and onto a quieter one again he attempted coaxing her to speak one more, “Wanna tell me what the hell is going on?” Mary still didn’t answer right away, sniffling softly, her face hidden in the fall of brown curls.

“...I went after Cory…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry this took so long guys! I've been struggling with the motivation to do the editing I needed and I kept getting distracted with making my new models in MMD. TTwTT None the less I hope everyone enjoyed the first part of this two part chapter and I would love to hear peoples thoughts on it. Upon the suggestion of a dear friend I started a Twitter, I don't understand what it has to do with this, but if people would like to talk to me on there or feel it easier to I can be found at @GrelleSutcliff3


	8. Candy Coated Nightmare Pt2

_ Earlier… _

Mary turned as soon as Jason’s back was to her, rushing from the alley silently and turning the corner to head back to the store. She was certain by the time she reached it Cory would indeed be getting off like he said, the now brunette intending to lure him somewhere quiet and away from people. Never once stopping to think about how foolish the idea was. Nor that fact she wasn’t armed either. All her mind was screaming was ‘KILL’. Mary wanted him to suffer, to wipe that cocky smile from him. It was as if all she could see was red and it had driven her common sense from her mind.

Back at the store she waited a bit outside, trying to seem casual as possible which proved difficult as her heart raced nervously in her chest. The teen felt both heavy and light as she paced a little on the sidewalk staring at the many cracks in its surface without really seeing them, fists clenching and unclenching at her sides. Imagining Cory knelt at her feet in tears as she tore his eye from him and cut him apart, pleading her for mercy as she had him and his friends.

“Lost again?”

Mary gasped softly, whirling around to face the speaker, finding none other than the man whose life she sought to end that very moment. It took her a minute to find her voice, reminding herself forcefully to play it cool and take her time. Enjoy it. To follow Slenderman’s advice about not doing things fast and rashly like Jeff would have. Then again Jeff wouldn’t have sought a target in daylight like this, let alone out in the open. Mary didn’t consider this at the moment. Smiling faintly, “A bit...still up for showing me around? I was looking for some place quiet, to be honest.” She told him, watching with a twist of her gut as he gave her that winning smile that at one time had made her heart flutter in excitement. Now it only made her feel sick. “Oh yeah? I think I might know just the place…” He replied, slinging an arm around her shoulders and leading her down the sidewalk. The shorter did her best not to visibly cringe, allowing him to lead her through the quiet streets and toward the edge of town where the buildings became fewer. More houses and less stores and shops, then finally more trees. “You’re boyfriend won’t mind us hanging out will he?” Cory asked after several quiet moments, smirking down at her, to which she gave a small and rather nervous laugh. “H-he wasn’t my boyfriend...just my best friend.” She replied awkwardly, looking away to the sidewalk, trying to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach that twisted and writhed painfully. “Oh? So... _ do _ you have a boyfriend?”

The redhead frowned slightly, “No...nothing of the sort.” She replied almost glumly, lifting her left hand unconsciously to touch that side of her face, the side currently hidden under her layer make-up. It grew quieter and quieter around them the farther they walked, no car sounds or chattering of people where they were now. “Is there someone you like…?” Cory fished for answers, clearly trying to get at something, though this went over the girl's head. Mary’s face warmed at the question, raven hair flashing in her mind, she quickly shook her head in the negative. “N-no…” Silence fell again for awhile as the sidewalk petered out into a worn path in the dirt on the side of the road, houses becoming fewer and farther between.

“So cutie, I didn’t get your name.” Cory broke the silence, almost starting the girl who had fallen into thought, she sucked in a sharp breath and smiled. “Oh, um, my name is...Ashe!” She replied after a moment’s thought, selecting her own cousins name from memory rather than giving her real one. Cory gave her an odd look, before laughing a bit, clearly playing off the nervousness in her demeanor for something else. “That’s adorable! I’m Cory, I don’t think I mentioned it.”

“O-Oh, that’s a very handsome name…”

Silence fell once more as they walked, Cory leading her farther from the houses. The further they got, the antsier she felt too. More excited. It seemed like her plan was going to work, as she looked up at him, tilting her head slightly and smiling in a way that he must of mistook for something else because the next second she found him leaning in toward her. Confused, she backed away, dislodging herself from his arm in the process. He growled a little, still smiling at her, letting out a bit of a chuckle. “Come on now, don’t play hard to get. This is what you wanted right?” The elder asked in a husky tone, moving ever closer as she backed away. Mary soon found herself pressed against a tree, the bark biting into her skin through her sweater, swallowing thickly as she found her mind blanking out for a moment. What was she supposed to do?! Panic began forming like a stone in her gut. “S-stay back!” The words were a helpless whimper, she felt pathetic and foolish...just like that day she had lost her eye.

“Hehe~ Why? I can see it in your eyes baby, you want this…” He said seductively as he leaned into her ear, though it came off creepy in her mind. Cory chuckled softly against her skin, making her shudder as a chill rushed down the red head’s spine. Tightening her jaw, Mary shoved him back when he again tried to kiss her. “I said back off! I would never want anything like that from disgusting trash like you! You-You’re nothing but a cruel beast!” She shouted at him angrily, glaring as he blinked in shock at her. “What the fuck? You don’t even know me!” He replied in bewilderment as she advanced back on the confused teenager, he being the one to move back away now in utter shock. “Oh, no? I know you’re a leech and a sick bastard. I know you lead an innocent girl into the hands of people that beat her mercilessly and just stood and laughed!”

Cory’s shock slowly morphed into rage, “How do you…?! Who the fuck are you?!” The elder teen stood his ground now, towering easily over the shorter, though she was too blinded by anger to see this. “Am I pretty enough for you now, huh? Now that I don’t have my red hair? Now that my eyes aren’t so bright?” She asked him venomously, smiling that wide, crazed smile. The smallest laugh slipping her lips. Lunging for his throat, intending to choke the life from him, she was surprised when he turned on her instead and tossed her easily to the ground with a right hook to the jaw. 

For a moment she was dazed, taken off guard and now sitting on the ground holding her bruised jaw, lifting her eyes to him in time to see him move before he pinned her down. Her heart stopped for several moments, breath catching in her throat. “You little bitch! You’re the one who attacked Brendon aren’t you!?” Cory shouted at her as she went into motion, struggling to free herself from him to no avail. “I’m calling the cops! But not before I show you why you shouldn’t fucking mess with me!” The older teen growled, rearing back his fist to hit her again. Mary shut her eyes, letting out a small yelp of fear as she expected to be beaten, feeling completely pathetic.

However the beating never came as Cory shouted very suddenly, his weight vanishing from her chest and when she opened her eyes to see what was happening, she saw him land several feet away. Though this was not what caused the fear in her gut to triple and ignite into a chilled fire that ate its way through her veins. No, what made her unable to breath now, was the fact she was once more in the dark place of her dreams. Her nightmares. Lite in that small circle of dingy red and white tiles, she watched the blue haired jester from her childhood lift Cory from the ground by his throat in a crushing grip. Cory struggled uselessly, tears in his wide gray eyes as he gaped like a fish out of water. The Jester smiled slowly, his violet eyes seeming to glow as he turned him toward her, “See? I’ve come to save the day…” He told her with a grin on his dark painted lips, walking toward her with Cory still gripped in his hand, dropping the elder teen at her feet like some sort of sick prize. 

“Y-you're not real…” Mary mumbled as she struggled to her feet, shaking like a leaf in the autumn beeze, “This is...impossible...I-I must be asleep!” The jester’s smile never wavered, as if this was a reaction he had expected, “Hmhm~ Come now, we’ve done this before, you know very well I’m no mere dream.” He replied with a chuckle, holding something out to her and when she looked up she realized it was a purple balloon. She was transfixed by the semi-translucent object floating just over her head for a few minutes, fingers trembling at her sides as her stomach twisted painfully with the urge to vomit. 

“Don’t you want your balloon now?”

Mary slowly shook her head, backing farther and farther from him before getting to her feet and turning to run away into the darkness that melted away to reveal the street outside the store. Stumbling in confusion, Mary barely missed tripping on the pavement as she looked around for a moment, seeing someone leaving the store. To her horror it was Cory. Unharmed and unaware. As if everything from the past hour had never happened. Her heart raced violently in her chest, had it been a dream?! Just something that thing had created to lure her off on her own?

“Don’t be so surprised, we used to play this game all the time!” Came the jesters voice beside her, Mary jumping into the air a bit in shock, turning wide eyes on him. He only smiled and went on, “Don’t you remember? When ever you were lonely or wanted to play I would make you a dream, any you wanted and let you do as you pleased! Didn’t you like this one? I wasn’t sure how you wanted it to play out you see…and honestly I’m a bit upset with you.” He told her as he moved about, unnoticed by passer by around them. “I’ve looked a long while for you, see? And you just rushed off this morning without so much as a good bye! I wanted to spend more time with you…” The small teen shuddered, backing away, shaking her head in disbelief. Everything he said, as much as she wanted to deny, rang true. She  _ knew _ him. Could recall the times of which he referred almost clearly in her mind, though the dreams felt so much more innocent than this. This, here and now, felt like a threat. Like she was in serious danger. Shutting her eyes tightly she willed him to go away, willed herself desperately to wake up, tried thinking of anywhere but there. Mumbling allowed for him to go away and leave her be in peace.

An image of Jeff flittered into her mind, several of them in fact, and suddenly she wished she was with him. He always made her feel somehow better, safer, more grounded. It was so quiet for so long that when the sounds of people whispering around her started up, she jerked in fright, green eyes opening wide to see she was now on a busy street she did not recognize. People passing kept staring and pointing, mumbling about her and how crazy she looked talking to herself as she had been doing. Still shaking, she glanced around, not seeing the blue haired jester anymore. Slightly relieved, the redhead attempted to calm herself.

Stiffly moving forward, eyes darting here and there like a scared animals might. When she spotted something familiar, a few feet ahead in the crowd and suddenly she felt a tiny spark of hope bloom in her chest. If not for the recognizable white hoodie she might not of have realized it was him, automatically grabbing his sleeve when he was close enough, heart racing madly. Beating so fast she was sure she might just drop dead from a heart attack at any moment. It seemed forever before his voice reached her, the haze of shock lifting enough for her to finally feel herself being grounded once more in reality, feel the earth beneath her and know this was real! And all she could do was cry in relief, whimpering quietly as he hugged her. 

* * *

 

“And you don’t remember anything else? You're sure you didn’t see that being again?”

Mary shook her head, not lifting her eyes from the mug of peppermint cocoa that Laughing Jack had placed in her hand as he sat down next to her, wrapping a comforting arm around her much smaller shoulders. He had been eerily quiet since she had begun explaining about what had happened, looking far paler than normal considering his face was so starkly shaded in the first place. In front of her stood Slenderman, having conveniently enough appeared the moment Jeff had brought her inside, his proxies in tow. Toby had apparently found and explained to the ethereal being that the redhead had vanished, how he had known she was home was a mystery. But for the past hour he had been grilling her for what had actually happened and the more she talked the crazier she felt it sounded.

“Sure you didn’t just imagine all this? Seems like a load of bullshit if you ask me.” Tim said from the left side of her where he stood just out of her line of sight against the wall, puffing at a cigarette. Mary’s good eye turned toward him as she lifted her head to actually look at him for the first time all evening, looking pale and uncertain, maybe she was just crazy? A pair of chilled hands wrapped around hers that held the mug, catching her attention, she whipped her head back around to find it was Laughing Jack who was now kneeling before her with a concerned expression. “Woah there, deep breaths Gumdrop...relax.” The teen twitched, something triggering in the foggy reaches of her mind at the nickname the monochrome clown had used. The name echoed in her thoughts as if she had heard it before, somewhere a long, long time ago. Looking at their hands she realized she was shaking again, her grip on the ceramic cup so tight it was an honest wonder it didn’t break, as it was she had spilled a fair amount of the sweet liquid within on her jeans and the floor. She didn’t even feel the sting of the heat from it till then, blinking slowly as L.J. took the mug and set it behind him on the coffee table. “She’s not making it up…” He began in a soft, soothing sort voice despite how naturally rough he sounded, “You’re not going crazy Gumdrop, I promise…” The raven creature smiled softly up at her from where he knelt, the look in his eyes warm but sad.

Mary felt so small, like a child who wasn’t catching hidden messages in a conversations adults were having around her, “How can you be so sure…? I could be going insane...I-I mean...It makes sense right...that I’ve just lost my mind?” Her voice was hardly above a whisper when she managed to speak, the words tumbling out on quivered breaths. Laughing Jack opened his mouth to say more, but Slenderman’s long, pointed fingers on his shoulder made him draw up short. “Are you sure you wish to tell her the truth…? It could truly break what sanity she still sustains…” The clown nawed lightly on his lower lips, blue, silver eyes flitting toward her a moment. “You are after all the one who wanted her to forget in the first place.” 

Mary made to ask what they were talking about, but she was beat to the punch by Jeff. “Truth? The fuck are you two hiding, huh?! What the hell do you know about this blue freak?!” The raven haired teen had been pacing behind the couch for the better part of the past hour, unable to sit still once he had gotten back. All he wanted to do was stab this blue haired being in the face for messing with  _ his _ Mary!  _ ‘No! No, not mine! Just a friend...We’re just friends!’ _ He thought vehemently, angrily glaring at the two beings who remained silent a while longer. Laughing Jack let out a long, heavy sigh, looking at his hands which still gently held Mary’s. “It’s been a really long time ago now…But...We’ve met before Mary.” He started slowly, not looking up at her, just staring at their hands.

 

* * *

 

Mary sat in the corner of her bedroom late one night, just eight years old, she hummed softly to herself in an attempt to at comfort. Her father hadn’t gotten home till late that evening and gone straight to bed when he arrived, he was so ill and tired lately. Thus the whole day had been spent with her mother which never posed a good thing. The entire day the child listened to her mother telling her how creepy and weird she was, that she wished she wasn’t around. That she should never have been born and how much of a burden she was.

The small child sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest as she stared out at the room, at her toys that smiled back at her with blank stares. Closing her eyes, the redhead stopped humming, instead simply sitting in silence. For a long time she remained this way, just sitting in the silent room with the ticking of the clock high on her wall as her only company. And then, very faintly, she heard music. Like an old wind up music box, or something of that sort, playing a tune she sort of recognized. Lifting her wide green eyes, she stood and went to investigate the new sound, following it out into her backyard. Despite the late hour she was undeterred at finding the source of the sound, her parents wouldn’t even notice her leave the house and besides their yard was fenced. It was a large back lawn, the grass nearly up to her small knees so that the little blue dress she wore brushed it when she skipped along through it toward her back fence. The hem of her dress growing slightly damp from the dew on the lawn. The sound was much louder now and when she looked around she spotted something dingy sitting in the dirt. It was small, with a little handle that stopped turning when she came closer and the music stopped with it. Pictures of colorful clowns and animals were painted on it, at least they had once been colorful, now they were faded and dirty with age. The wooden box cracked in places from age and neglect. To anyone else it might look like worthless trash.

But to the small eight year old girl it was a brilliant treasure, which made her smile wide as she picked it up and ran back inside to her room, closing the door to her room behind her quietly. There she carried the box to her bed and sat it down, tilting her head this way and that as she examined it more closer after turning on her bedside lamp, wild red curls bobbing with every movement she made. Giggling she left the room again, returning moments later with a cloth from the bathroom which she used to dust off her knew treasure until it was as clean as she could manage. “I bed daddy can help me fix you right up! But, we’ll have to wait till tomorrow, he’s asleep right now.” Putting the cloth down she grasped the small handle of the box, turning it slowly and humming to the oddly familiar tune as her excitement built. Mary had expected the box’s lid to pop open like it was supposed to at the end of the song, but frowned when nothing happened. “Oh...I guess it’s broken...Maybe dad can fix that too!” She smiled, not at all worried, she turned to go put the cloth away. 

“Why...hello kiddo~ How about some candy?” The voice that met her ears was low and gravely, a bit like the music of the aged jack-in-the-box. She turned around in surprise at the voice, looking up at the figure now standing in her room with a slightly open mouth. Before her was an impossibly tall clown, he was all blacks and whites, with blue silver eyes that seemed to pierce right through her. Now, any normal child would have been a bit afraid, but Mary had never in her whole life been normal. And though the clown appeared quite frightening, she wasn’t at all scared. Blinking her big green eyes in wonder, she tilted her head, large curls falling into her round face. It was several moments of staring before the clown spoke again, holding out a handful of colorfully wrapped sweets to her, “Well, what’s wrong? Don’t you want one?”

Mary looked at the sugar confections a second, before smiling up at the clown, “But, that would be very rude of me...Daddy says I should serve guest’s, not the other way around.” She replied with an innocent smile and a tilt of her head. The clown blinked in confusion at her, children didn’t normally deny taking a sweet from him and certainly when they did it wasn’t for such an odd reason. So he was even more surprised when the girl reached out to him, taking one of his clawed fingers and tugging on him to follow her, making a shushing motion with her other hand to her lips. “Come on! Mommy left some cookies out we can have, but we have to be extra quiet cause she’s asleep!” She told the tall, monochrome man, leading him in an air of surreal bewilderment to the kitchen down the hall from her room where indeed cookies awaited them. 

There was a whole plate of them, plenty for them to share a few without anyones notice. The little redhead let him go to get the plate, she was so small the clown noticed as he watched her struggle to get the plate. In fact she seemed only than her size betrayed, she looked hardly three or maybe four, but she acted at least seven or more. Frowning, he walked over and reached out, picking it up and holding it out to her. Again she smiled brightly at him, taking a few cookies before he sat the plate back on the counter, looking back as she held one out to him, “Here, there peanut butter! It’s my grandma’s recipe!” She said in a hushed tone, waiting as he gingerly took the baked good between his clawed fingers. He gazed at it a moment or two in the dimly lit kitchen, still confused. This was not how this was supposed to play out, not in the least. He was supposed to trick the kid into eating his candy and then convince her to come to his carnival, they would play his usual games there and he would move on to the next child like always.

But as one day melded into the next he soon forgot his usual games, to enraptured by the odd redheaded girl to just leave, he found himself returning often with curious wonder of her. He learned a lot about her in a short period of time, like how neglected she was by her mother. It reminded him very much of another child he had once know, though this was at times more severe. The girl’s only safe haven in the house was her father, but the man worked often and was very ill when he was home, he could do little for her. And it was such a pity. Mary was a kind child, kinder than most her age. She was special, she could see things other children couldn’t, of this he was certain. He often found her talking to things he could only just make out, ghosts. He liked Mary and Mary seemed to very much enjoy his company too, playing all sort of games together, such as hide and seek. This seemed to be her favorite game, or it was for a while...Until the game was interrupted one evening.

It was warm, a summer's afternoon, the sky was mostly clear and nearly a perfect blue. Laughing Jack stood in the house, counting loudly to himself as Mary hid somewhere. It was in the midst of counting, and ignoring the girls rather abrasive mother blabbing on the phone to one of her apparent other children, that he heard Mary let out a shout of fright outside. Startled by the noise, the clown made his way down the hall, finding the girl's mother in the kitchen washing dishes with the phone pressed to her, ignoring her child's cries of fear by rolling her eyes. “She’s at it again. Yes, I know. But Max simply won’t let me put her in a hospital! She’s his ‘precious’ baby girl after all...little brat.” Growling to himself, he ran to the backdoor, rushing out into the yard. There he found Mary sitting in the grass, staring up with wide eyes at something he couldn’t find. “No! Go away! I don’t want it!” Confused and worried, though he wasn’t certain why to the latter emotion, he wandered over to the girl. Still unable to see what was scaring her so, “What’s the matter Gumdrop?!” He asked as he dropped to his knees beside her, seeming to snap her from whatever trance she was in, her large eyes turning to him with tears. She sobbed as she climbed up into his lap suddenly, curling herself there and shivering, “I-I don’t want the balloon...I don’t want it! Candy Pop is being mean again!” She sobbed to the clown, who held her, bewildered as he looked around them again.  _ ‘Who on earth is Candy Pop?’  _ He wondered as he rocked the child in confusion, humming Pop Goes the Weasel to calm her. He couldn’t see what scared her and didn’t know how to make it leave.

 

* * *

 

“So...then I really am crazy? I-I’ve been imagining that thing since I was a kid…?” Mary asked of the clown who again was seated beside her, eyes as wide as a child’s, but instead of innocence they swam with sorrow and worry. Aside from the fact she had not, till then, realized she even knew Laughing Jack before two months ago, she was starting to think herself crazier and crazier. L.J smiled a tiny bit, reassuringly, “No, your not crazy Gumdrop...let me finish telling the story and you’ll understand, okay?”  The teen nodded slowly, pulling her knees up and hugging them, sitting in the corner of the large couch looking so much smaller than normal. Feeling just as tiny and helpless as she had at eight years old, as she had every single time her mother had bad mouthed her. Like her whole life had been lies…

 

* * *

 

It was many years before Laughing Jack discovered what the mysterious being that haunted Mary actually was. Her little panic attacks happened more and more frequently, growing more and more violent until the girl’s mother simply couldn’t take it anymore and carted her off to a hospital up north by the name of Brookhaven. The clown could clearly recall feeling absolutely sick during the car ride there, Mary’s parents of course couldn’t see him and poor Mary hardly reacted to him at all. He couldn’t blame her, she knew they couldn’t see him and knew as well that should she try to talk to him there it would only make things worse. So he could only sit and talk to her, sing to her really, attempting to make it easier some how. Mary hadn’t slept in nearly a week, dark circles had formed beneath her normally bright eyes that now were dull with exhaustion and resignation. The hospital was cold and dimly lit, this he had disliked as it reminded him very much of the feeling of being trapped. And the moment Mary was locked in her little padded room? He had stood outside rather than gone in, unable to bring himself into such a tiny space. Jack had watched from the tiny window in her door as the doctors ‘worked’ on her, injecting her with things and forcing pills into her until she was nothing more than a zombie like many others shambling about the building.

It was three weeks before he could bring himself to enter that room, uncertain of himself as he approached the small bed she was sitting on in her dingy mint green hospital gown. She barely lifted her head to him, eyes dull and almost lifeless. “Y-you’re real...right Jack…? I d-didn’t make you up...I’m not crazy...right…?” She asked him in a soft, mechanical voice that cracked here and there when she tried to raise it, ruined from nights and days spent scream in agony during her ‘therapy’. Tears formed in her eyes as she stared up at him, slowly trailing down her pale cheeks. The raven began nibbling his lower lip with pointed teeth, kneeling down before her and holding his arms out, sorely tempted to spirit her away from there and never return her if it meant seeing her smile again. But he knew he couldn’t really do that, she needed her family. But how did he help her? How did he get them to come and take he home? The tiny child hesitated only a moment before she curled herself into his waiting arms, crying quietly there as he sat on the padded floor holding her. “You’re not crazy Gumdrop...Don’t you know…? I’m Laughing Jack-in-a-Box...y-you’re not so imaginary friend!” He replied softly, his voice cracking a little. It had been a great many years since he had introduced himself as such and it felt almost bittersweet doing so for the girl he held then. 

Mary sniffled softly, rubbing her eyes and looking up at him with a tiny smile, “Is that why you’re so colorful, cause you’re like the clown in my jack-in-the-box?” She asked, the question making the clown frown in confusion. He had long ago lost his colors, long before she had even been thought of, so then how was she able to see him as he was? He smiled slowly, brokenly, “Th-that’s right! Just like that! I’m your special friend and no one else can take me away from you, okay?!”

“Don’t cry Laughing Jack...please…?” The child frowned, hugging the clown about the neck with her small arms. He returned the gesture, unable to stop the tears for sometime and when he looked down at his own arms wrapped about the girl he saw something miraculous. Instead of the gray bandages and black and white sleeves he was shocked to behold bright colors, a whole rainbow of them! It was like he hadn’t lost them at all! And just as quick as the joy had come, it was ruined when Mary suddenly went still in his arms, whimpering in fear. “G-go away...make him go away!” The eleven year old sobbed softly as she buried her face in his feathered shoulders. Jack stood slowly and settled her on her bed, smiling at her has he pulled back, “It’s okay Gumdrop, no one in here but us!” 

“No! Candy Pop is here! Can’t you see him too Jack?” She pleaded, pointing over his shoulder at something in the corner of the room. Jack turned, blue eyes staring into the shadows of the corner, shadows that seemed so much darker than before. As if they were closing in on them...the clown swallowed, aside from the strange shadows he still saw nothing. But, felt like they were being watched. And he wanted to believe Mary wasn’t just seeing things. Whatever this was had haunted her for years and it truly seemed to scare her. If he could make it leave maybe she could go home? Straightening up, he faced the darkness, clenching his fists. He waited, searching the darkness...and sure enough it appeared. Tall as himself, with bright blue hair and bells all over his person, smiling darkly past him like he was an insect unworthy of his attention. “Come now Mary...don’t you want your balloon? I can take you away from this nightmare…Let me save the day…I’ll make it all go away.”

Mary whimpered behind Jack, shaking her head, “N-no! Go away Candy Pop! It’s your fault I’m here! Everyone thinks I’m crazy cause I’m the only one who see’s you!” Jack shuddered as he realized this being wasn’t that much different than himself, he could feel the darkness coming from its heart that was so similar to his own. The only difference was that he had changed, he didn’t wish to hurt Mary anymore like this creature did. “Who are you? Why won’t you leave her alone? There are plenty of other kids around for you to torment!” Laughing Jack shouted at the being who raised a brow at him and smirked, “Why…? Because she has a special soul...I can smell it. I noticed it from the first time I saw her.” 

Mary stared straight ahead as if she was reliving this in her mind, the color in her real eye duller than ever. Like the very life had left her. Laughing Jack simply stared at the floor, his hands clasped between his knees, “In the end I dragged him into my box...We were both trapped there for some time, until by lucky chance the box ended up at a resale shop and a hapless human happened to turn the crank to release us both. That’s been about four years back now and I came here to live afterward…I don’t know what happened to him after we got out.” He let out a long sigh and glanced at Mary out of the corner of his eyes, “I never expected to see you again Mary and when you didn’t recognize me I assumed you had forgotten all about this. So I left it at that. I was afraid if you knew all this it might hurt you more…You were already going through so much. I-I would have told you eventually.”

The teen didn’t answer at first, just stared off into space absently. The redhead hugged herself, shaking her head as she felt the warmth of the tears down her face, “I...I remember now...that place...I-I thought I imagined it all. Just a bad nightmare...I was all alone when you left. M-My mother came to get me when my d-dad passed away…” She didn’t see the way L.J cringed, no one in the room moved or spoke, it was so quiet it made Mary nearly want to scream. “I was...alone...for so long...I thought no one would ever come. I thought...I thought I really was crazy! The doctors convinced me it was all in my head and helped me forget, t-told me I could be ‘normal’...but I’m not normal. I-I never was…” Mary’s breath caught as she sniffled, letting out a small, crazed little laugh. That laugh bubbled and festered into full blown hysterics as she lost grip on what was going on around her, reliving in her mind all those years of loneliness that Candy Pop had caused her. All the years of joy she could have had with Jack that had been stolen from her. That jester had taken away the only friend she had ever known and left nothing but pain behind. She felt arms around her and when she looked up she expected to find Laughing Jack, but the black sleeves that met her eyes did not belong to the clown who still sat in full view across from her. Confused, she looked over to the person hugging her so gently from behind and realized it was Jeff, of all the people in the room. He had been the one to step forward, hugging her shoulders gently from behind, his face in her shoulder and she could just make out a slight pink on his cheek out of the corner of her eye, “Its...it’s gonna be alright. Nothing wrong with being different, it's part of what makes you beautiful.” He mumbled to her softly before awkwardly letting her go and straightening up, rubbing the back of his neck, “Besides, your not alone anymore...You have me and Liu and everyone here at this house. So...So cheer up, okay? We’ll get this blue haired freak and cut a smile into his face that’ll never fade.” The redhead blinked up at the raven, glancing around the room as he spoke, the others nodding to her in agreement to his words. Mary sniffled, but this time in joy, rather than sorrow. “Thank you...all of you…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! >w< I have been very busy with many projects! Follow me on devianart for random content related to this story and lots of other things related to Jeff the Killer and Creepypasta!! Link~> https://grellex2.deviantart.com/ Also thank you to everyone whose continued to read the story and for all the Kudos and comments that have been left, they are much appreciated and truly make my day! ^w^


	9. Sweetest Bliss and Truest Horror

Jeff sat on the couch in the living room, BEN and Toby sitting on the floor in front of the t.v playing some sort of ridiculous racing game whilst yelling and taunting each other like kids. The raven leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling above him, it was late, but given the day's events he wasn’t tired. Didn’t feel like going home just yet. A knock at the door made him sigh, wondering whom it could possibly be, being so polite to knock and all, it was a short list of people. Really. The teen did not get up to check when Slender answered it, coming out of his office from down the hall to do so. But he didn’t need to do anything at all to figure it out because a few minutes later he had his arms full of a large red and black husky. “Gah!? Smile?! What the hell…!” The teen tried to sound upset, but failed, laughing at the large dog's antics as it attempted to lick his face and nuzzle him.

Splendor walked into the room along side Slenderman, smiling like he always seemed to, “Well well, he’s found you then. When you didn’t show up at your apartment I assumed you must be here.” Jeff’s face heated a bit as he settled the husky down into his lap properly, petting him behind his large smiling head, “Sorry about that...a lot came up and I must have forgotten.”

“So I’ve gathered. Well, no harm. He’s home with you now and that’s what matters. He was very helpful with what I needed, thank you again for allowing me to borrow him.”

“No problem, he likes helping with the kids. Don’t ya boy?” Jeff grinned at the grinning dog who barked loudly and wagged his tail, jumping from the couch and trotting about to show his agreement. The raven just shook his head with a small chuckle, “Chill out Smile, people are trying to sleep.” BEN made a rather rude noise in his throat at the statement, “He means his girlfriend is asleep!” Toby tried not to, honestly, but ended up bursting into a fit of childish giggles. Both the comment and the laughter only succeeded in making Jeff angry, the teen’s face a furious shade of red, “Fuck you both! We’re just friends! At least I’m trying to be helpful instead of sitting at home masterbating and getting high!” He shouted at the pair, BEN flushed at this, blinking his glowing red eyes, mouth agape. “Y-yeah, well at least I admit I do that! I’m not the one lying about how I feel!”

“We’re **JUST** friends! How hard is that to understand?!” Jeff screamed, Toby looking between the pair now shooting mental daggers at each other with their eyes. The brunette cleared his throat and slowly sat his controller down on the coffee table, mumbling something about going to bed before scurrying off. Splendor chuckled softly and turned to his brother, “I see nothing's changed.” He said as they walked to the front door, leaving the boys to shout at each other, “Yes, still just as loud as ever.” Slender replied, stepping onto the front porch and shutting the door behind them. “But he does seem more docile, relaxed rather.” The elder of the pair pointed out, tilling his smiling head as his faceless brother nodded, “Yes, a bit. That girl truly does have a power all her own, whether or not she realizes it. Her presence is helping many in this house.”

“Oh?”

“I doubt she knows it, as I said. But I do worry for her, she’s very prone to attracting danger. Already she has nearly died, been kidnapped, nearly gotten caught by the police. She has much to learn about self-preservation.”

The front door slammed open suddenly and Jeff rushed out, pushing past the two beings on the porch. “Fuck this shit, I’m out!” He shouted as he went, beelining toward the woods alone. “Aren’t you taking Smile with you?” Splendor asked confused, but the only answer he got was being flipped off by the irate teen. Dumbfounded, the brothers stared after the raven boy as a blonde head stuck itself out the front door, “Damn he’s a touchy little bastard.” BEN blinked his red eyes, though he frowned, there was glee in his glowing eyes.

* * *

 

Mary awoke early that very next morning, though still tired, she simply couldn’t fall back to sleep hard as she might have tried. Sitting up in her bed, she stared for some time at the wall across from her. It was sometime before she actually got up, sighing in exhaustion as she went down to the kitchen for some water, still wearing the same sweater and jeans from the day before which were now rumpled from a restless night's sleep. Reaching the kitchen she opened the cabinet near the sink that contained the dishes, retrieving a glass and moving to fill it up. However the redhead paused, hand halfway to the facet, her right eye trained on something in the shadows of the room. It was hardly four feet tall, with glowing red eyes and rows off sharp white teeth that gleamed in low lighting. The glass trembled in her fingers as she stared at it, uncertain of what it was or if it was a threat. At first she had thought, by its height, that it was Sally playing a trick. But the eyes and smile said otherwise. Then she thought perhaps it was Candy Pop teasing her again, she wanted to deny that he could find her so easily. That this house was perfectly safe from his nightmarish reaches. But she knew he already had found her once there, earlier the previous night. 

The sound of shattering glass seemed to trigger several things at once. First she froze up, the fear gripping her like a vice, her heart pounding painfully in her chest. A small noise of fright left her. The thing in the corner lunged, this blur of red and black flew across the room and landed against her chest. Causing her to fall, her back hitting the floor hard, knocking the air from her. Mary gasped as something fuzzy snuffled about in her face, sniffing at her until she let out a yell and then a laugh as something wet and cold tickled her neck. The kitchen light flickered on overhead as Mary begged for mercy on a fit of laughter, the creature torturing her became illuminated at the same time, sitting back on her stomach and wagging its fluffy tail. In the kitchen door was Laughing Jack and Eyeless Jack, both underdressed and wearing only shorts no doubt from having been woken by all the noise. E.J chuckled, “I see you’ve met Smile.” 

“Hope you like dogs kiddo, that one can be pretty clingy when he wants to.” L.J said, approaching the fridge and getting out the milk, taking it to the counter and pouring himself a glass. He frowned for a second or two at the broken glass in the sink, shaking his head with a small sigh before sipping his drink. “Yeah, but I’ve never seen him get so happy to see a stranger.” Eyeless Jack pointed out, walking over and helping the still giggling red head up. “Probably cause she smells like his owner.” Mary reached out and pet the odd colored husky, smiling brightly, though it did little for the bags under her eyes. E.J reached out to her, grabbing her chin to get a better look, frowning deeply when she pulled away from him. “You need to get some more sleep, you're pale.”

“I’m fine.” She replied automatically, stepping away from the gray skinned man, the dog following her and nuzzling her fingers. Wanting more affection, which he received, “Whose his owner anyway?” The teen asked quickly in order to change the subject, but her answer didn’t come. Laughing Jack had opened his mouth to tell her, but the front door opening and shutting softly caused the clown to shut his lips again and frown in question. Four sets of eyes turned toward the archway that looked into the foyer and farther into the living room. But no one appeared for some time, instead the husky at Mary’s side barked happily and wagged his tail, trotting over and vanishing around the corner. Only his tail still seen as it wagged back and forth excitedly. The dog yipped once more, a low chuckle being heard from the hall and then slowly the speaker and animal moved toward the stairs only to pause. Jeff looked into the kitchen, raising a brow over his lidless blue eyes at the three staring back. The dog nudged his hand, before walking back to Mary’s side and sitting down, licking her fingers. The redhead smiled a little at the dog, cheeks a little warm as she pet him and glanced at Jeff across the room, “Is he yours?” She asked softly, though easily heard in the quiet room. Laughing Jack and Eyeless Jack both held in small noises of amusement as they left the room, leaving the teens alone. Jeff paid them little mind, his pale face slightly red as he rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah, his name is Smile...So...you like dogs?”

Mary nodded with a slightly wider smile, “I was never allowed pets growing up, but I always liked dogs. Their so sweet and loyal.” She giggled a little, kneeling down to scratch Smile behind his large ears, “I should have guessed what your name was, it suits you really well.” Silence fell for a bit, the raven moving a bit closer, hands in the pockets of his white hoodie, just watching the younger teen with the husky. Finally the silence became too much for either of them.

“So why are you-”

“-up so early?”

“-out so early?”

They both blinked, red faced at each other, before letting out awkward laughs. Jeff cleared his throat, “Uh, I was coming to get him actually.” He explained, pointing at Smile, who tilted his head a bit at his raven owner. “Erm...Would you...would you like to come with me? I was going to take him for a walk…” He felt so nervous asking, though he didn’t know why, it made no sense. It was just walking Smile, nothing weird or out of the norm. He had no reason to be nervous, no reason for his heart to be hammering like a bird trying to escape a cage. It didn’t help that Mary hesitated to answer either, her fingers stilling on Smile’s head mid-pet. That single green eye on the floor a moment. Jeff swallowed, his nerves doubling, “You don’t have to, I would understand.” He said quickly, his voice sounding hurt and angry all at once without meaning to be either. Internally he winced. 

The redheaded teen shook her head quickly, waving her hands in front of her, “No no! I just...I want to...But I…” She paused, biting her lip harshly as she looked at the ground, her fingers curled into fists at her sides. “I...I was worried about what happened yesterday...I don’t...I don’t want to run into him again.” Mary admitted after several moments, managing to force the words out, why was it so hard? Because she felt weak. Pathetic, knowing Candy Pop had tricked her so easily. The younger teen felt like he made a fool of her, after all she wanted to prove she was capable, as good as anyone in the house and didn’t need taking care of. That she wasn’t a burden on everyone there. But so far she had only made a mess of everything she touched. Everytime she turned around she felt as if she was making things worse, putting people out. “You don’t have to worry about that.” Jeff’s words caught her off guard, confusing already confused thoughts as she looked up at him. He had moved closer without her notice, standing just a foot from her now, staring down at her with this look of conviction she had never seen before. “Why is that…?” She asked in bewilderment, her single eye wide as she looked up into his impossible blues. Jeff’s pale face darkened a shade or two of red, those eyes looking away from her face a moment as he chose his words, “Cause I’ll protect you. I’ll put that bastard to sleep if he comes anywhere near you.” He told her, staring into her eyes again, she could tell he meant every word of it and as hard as she might have tried she could not ignore the way his determination made her heart flutter. Stomach in knots that had nothing to do with fear or worry. 

At last Mary smiled, her own face feeling warm, “Okay. Then let’s get going.” The redhead trusted him, though she knew Candy Pop had abilities neither of them could begin to fathom. She still felt as if, somehow, Jeff really could keep her safe and if nothing else it reassured her. After all, she always felt more grounded around the unstable raven. Like nothing was as terrible as it normally was when he was near by. 

After changing into her favorite gray dress and black shorts, putting on some shoes, Mary and Jeff took Smile out into the woods for his walk. Heading in the direction of the park, being this early in the morning no one would be there, it was chilly out and dew clung to everything, the sun had hardly risen in the sky. It was quiet amongst the trees, peaceful, the way the redhead liked it. It helped to ease her mind and relieve the stress the past few weeks had brought, for a bit she could almost pretend all was normal and nothing about her life was at all strange. 

“You look like you didn’t get much sleep…” Jeff pointed out after awhile, deciding to try and break the silence looming over them. He was never a fan of silence, it unnerved him, made him swear he could hear whispering around them that he knew within reason wasn’t there. Mary looked off to the side uncomfortably, away from him into the trees, “I’m okay.” She replied, just as mechanically as she had to Eyeless Jack’s concern earlier. The difference in the situation was that this was not E.J. and Jeff was far more persistent when he wanted to be and this was one of those moments, because he stopped walking, grabbing Mary’s wrist and pulling her to a halt beside him. The redhead met his eyes that gleamed with seriousness, blinking her single one as her face heated up again. Her wrist felt like it was on fire. “Don’t bullshit me. The others may take an answer like that and let it go, but I won’t. I can see it on your face, you look ready to drop.” 

Mary hesitated a moment, trying to will her racing heart to slow as she gave the raven a small, shaky smile. “I...I had trouble sleeping, I guess…” Jeff’s frown deepened, pulling at his scars in a way that as always made Mary think it must be painful, “It’s not like he can get to you in that house. He wouldn’t dare.” He assured her, but the look on her face stilled him, made his heart drop into his stomach like a lead weight. Mary’s green eye was dull, lacking the light it normally did, “Except he has once already. Night before last, I woke up from that bad dream…”

“Yeah, you sat up so fast I thought you might hurt yourself…” Jeff mumbled in agreement, he might have blushed about the fact he had been sleeping in the chair beside her bed that night had it not been for how severe this felt. “Right...He was in my dream. It was why I woke up in the first place, because he tried to give me that stupid balloon.” She frowned deeply, looking even more tired as she let out a sigh, pulling her arm free of Jeff’s now relaxed grip and walking off a bit. He didn’t even realize they had reached the park till he noticed the bench Mary was approaching, the redhead taking a seat and staring at the ground with her hands clasped together in her lap. Smile trotted over and laid his head on her knee, which earned him some pettings. “What do the balloons mean?” The raven asked curiously as he walked over to join her, sitting down beside her on the small wooden bench. The younger teen shrugged, “Honestly, I have no idea. But I’ve always hated those balloons, as long as I can remember I felt like there was something wrong with them. He would always get angry at me for not taking them, he seems so nice at first, but he turns into a real terror when he’s mad.” 

Jeff nodded, looking away from her as he leaned back on the bench, relaxing there as he stared off into the trees. It was quiet again for some time, just the three of them enjoying the morning. The raven teen didn’t ask further about Candy Pop, content with the sound of Mary humming beside him. Blue eyes strayed from the trees, looking at the younger teen, watching her staring off with that dreamy, tired expression of hers. He felt the urge to hold her, face heating at the idea as he looked away again. Why did he keep having thoughts like this? Was it normal to think things like that of your friends, to want to hold them? Comfort them? Worry about their well being so much? Jeff really wasn’t sure, he hadn’t had normal friends in a very long time and had isolated himself so much from the ones he did have that it was hard to distinguish what was ‘normal’ and what wasn’t. Swallowing the lump in his throat he glanced at Mary once more, the humming growing fainter and he realized it was because she was falling asleep. Slumped back slightly, her face toward him, eye closed. The humming eventually stopped when she fell completely asleep, pale pink lips parted slightly. The raven wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t want to wake her, she needed the rest, but this wasn’t a good place to be sleeping. Swallowing loudly, he reached out, touching her hand where it lay between them in hopes this would wake her without startling her. Her fingers twitched a little as a small noise left her and she curled herself into a ball on the bench, now nearly leaning on him. The elder teen’s face was more than a little warm, heart skipping a beat as she lay her head on his shoulder, he couldn’t help thinking she looked adorable like that. Muttering a small curse, he ran a hand through his wild black hair, looking away again. 

_ ‘Surely letting her sleep a bit wouldn’t hurt? _ ’

But this thought was forgotten when he heard people talking nearby, the voices growing closer and closer. No doubt people out for a jog or something, it was about that time of day now he figured. Again he cursed, pulling his hood up on his white jacket and looking at Smile and then Mary. Biting his lip slightly, what was he supposed to do? She didn’t seem like she was going to wake anytime soon and someone was bound to recognize her,  given her face was all over the damned news. “Fuck it!” He mumbled, lifting the smaller teen into his arms easily and moving off into the tree line, well away from the paths that most people took, but on one clear enough he wouldn’t run through much brush or overgrowth. Mary barely made a noise of acknowledgment to being picked up and carried, he didn’t know if she was really just that tired or if she just trusted him that much. “Stupid...So stupid...trusting someone like me.” Jeff whispered to himself, but it lacked the anger it should have as he glanced down at Mary’s sleeping face, her head against his left shoulder. Again his heart skipped a beat, he wondered if she really did trust him. What she thought of him. She had said once she thought he was beautiful when he had asked that first evening together, but he still wasn’t certain she meant it or if she said it to appease him. The raven wanted her honest answer, though he still didn’t know why he gave a shit what she thought of him. It was beyond frustrating to have these feelings and not understand why.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, the raven stirred in the direction of his apartment, though he didn’t really notice, didn’t think about it. Smile simply trotted along beside him like nothing was out of place about any of this. Reaching the edge of the parking lot where his apartment building was Jeff paused, just hidden in the tree line. Realizing it was daytime, he knew he needed to be fast and careful so as not to be seen, peering out and making damn sure no one was watching. Only when he was certain did he make a run across the lot, which proved a little difficult with the added weight he was carrying, not that Mary really weighed much. Taking the stairs to the second floor of building twelve two at a time with Smile right beside him. Only in the quiet safety of his apartment did he relax again, letting out a held breath as he leaned back on the door, holding Mary protectively closer unconsciously. The redhead made a small noise near his ear, for a moment he thought all the movement might have woken her, but she merely snuggled closer. Jeffrey felt his face heat considerably, almost certain it matched her hair.  _ ‘Why is she so trusting…?’ _ He wondered as he at last crossed the room and laid her down on his bed carefully, throwing a spare quilt he had in his closet over her. Stepping back, he watched her sleep a moment, thinking of a similar time what seemed forever ago. Though it was only a month now he supposed, perhaps a little longer. 

He had been sitting outside her home, listening as her parents laughed about how fat their daughter was, how stupid and useless she was. Her mother had mentioned how she couldn’t wait for Mary to move out and be rid of her at last. It had made him feel absolutely sick, wanting to put them both to sleep as he was reminded of his own parents and their false love. Though this was worse he realized, this woman wasn’t even trying to seem like she loved her daughter. She was very clear in her distaste of Mary. The next night he had spent much the same, for a time, listening to them laugh and drink like idiots. Oh, they would have been such easy targets that night and the temptation had been great. He had ended up getting up and moving at some point from his spot beneath the living room window to Mary’s bedroom window on the other side of the small house, listening to the redhead playing music on a radio as she did homework he assumed. This went on for perhaps an hour before he clearly heard the click of her door, followed by the startling sound of breaking glass as the radio that had been playing came crashing through the window he was seated beneath. Jeff was not someone who startled easily, but this made even him jump, dodging to the side and deeper into the shadows of the bush near the window, his heart had pounded so loudly in his ears as he listened to Mary argue with her step-father. The man had apparently been the one to throw the device, claiming it was ‘too loud’ and that he had ‘told her several times’ to turn it down. This Jeffrey knew was a lie as he himself had heard nothing, which Mary had timidly argued or at least started too when the sound of smack reached the raven outside and then another and another as the man inside yelled at her for back talking. Again, Jeff realized the feeling he had felt that evening had been rage. But he had not intervened, as much as he wished now he had. Wished he had saved her all this pain and suffering. 

He had snuck into her window hours later, when he was certain she had cried herself to sleep. Found her curled in her bed, still fully dressed in day clothes. Where her skin was bare he could see the marks, the bruises. But more disturbing still was the scratches on her arms, self inflicted ones he had no doubt by the blood he saw clinging to her nails and staining her fingertips. This had been the third thing about her that had struck such a chord within him, she had reminded him of himself, covering her pain in such a way. He supposed he had pitied her at first, it had made him so much more curious, his want to kill her further fading to be replaced with a need to understand her. Know her. Be near her. His sweet, miserable, Razorblade. Jeff must have stood over her for hours, before pulling a blanket over her and leaving. He hadn’t know why he had done that, still wasn’t completely sure of any of it. This, whatever it was that was the feeling he got around her. Only that he wanted her to...to smile. _ Really _ smile, be happy. He didn’t know if he could do that, honestly, but he wanted to try. 

The raven let out a sigh, looking away from the sleeping redhead as he pulled himself from his thoughts, deciding to clean up his apartment a bit more while she was resting. Quietly, of course. As morning stretched into lunch time he glanced at the clock to see it well past three in the evening, frowning a little as he wondered where the time had gone, glancing his blue eyes distractedly at Mary whom had not stirred much outside of turning over every now and again. Unaware completely of the small, fond smile that turned up his actually lips as he watched her, wondering it she might be hungry when she woke, he knew within reason she had not had the chance to eat yet. Halfway through making grilled cheese sandwiches did he realize what he was doing and felt that weird stir in his stomach, he had never cooked for anyone besides Liu when they were younger and that had obviously been years ago, had never had the desire to do so either. Yet here he stood over a little hot plate with a damn spatula, making her food.  _ ‘Fuck, the hell is this girl doing to me?’ _ He wondered, though he continued cooking nonetheless, sighing heavily. This was the most normal thing he had done since killing his parents, the past years had been chaos and murder for him, one foggy, bloody day after another. Loathing himself more and more each second until he became almost numb to it all. His heart virtually dead. Or so he had thought. Since Mary?

Jeffrey had begun to realize he was not as emotionally dead as he believed, after she had fallen off that cliff had been the biggest wake up call to that. Feeling fear, sorrow, and pain in a force he didn’t think possible since Liu’s would have been death all at once. Jeff shook his head, not wanting to dwell more on this. His stomach was filled already with bats, anymore and he might just throw up. Crossing the room he sat on the edge of his bed gingerly, Mary lay half curled beneath the quilt facing him. Breathing slow and even. The elder teen almost didn’t want to wake her, she looked so exhausted after yesterday, hell the past month in fact, but then most of all had been the topper of the roller-coaster her life, and his, had become. But she needed to eat, so he reached out despite not wanting to and brushed her hair from her pale face, running his fingers over the smooth side of her face. It didn’t take much to rouse her, the simple touch had been more than enough for her single green eye to open, blurrily focusing on his face after a few seconds.

Mary felt confused at first, not just by the unreadable and soft expression in Jeff’s impossible blues, but also because she noticed they were not in the park anymore. It took her a few minutes to realize they were in the raven’s apartment as she recognized the room around her when she glanced about as he got up from the bed, his cool fingers leaving her face now. The slight pink on his cheeks unmistakable though she did not bring attention to this. “I made lunch, figured you might be hungry. Its nothing great, I don’t really do much cooking so...yeah.” 

Awkwardly Jeff rubbed the back of his neck, turning to the kitchen as he picked up one of the two sandwiches he had made, leaning against the counter to eat it with his legs crossed at his ankles. Seeing as he didn’t own a table or even stools to sit at and eat. He tried not to pay attention to Mary out of the corner of his eye as she slipped from bed, hair a mess from sleeping and dress a bit wrinkled, unable to keep the thought that she still looked beautiful from crossing his mind as she approached the kitchen to join him. The redhead smiled slightly as she picked up the other grilled cheese, taking a bite with a small hum of what he hoped was joy as she lifted herself onto his counter to sit, kicking her bare feet a bit like a child might in a chair that was too tall for them. She kept this serene smile on her face as she ate, a comfortable silence between them or at least comfortable for her. Jeff on the other hand was distracted, his mind having traveled into an unknown place that quickly made him lose his appetite for his meal. Swallowing thickly, he sat the sandwich on a plate on the counter beside him, crossing his arms as he mulled over how to get the words out of his mouth just then. Mary, unaware of his struggles for now kept eating, humming a soft tune as she often did he noticed when she was happy. 

“Mary…?” The use of her name made her lift her eye to him at last, midway to taking a bite of her half eaten grilled cheese that she now lowered with a frown as she saw the downward turn his lips. His fists were tucked beneath his arms, like he didn’t trust himself right then, everything about him right then seemed as if he was uncertain. “Yes?” He stiffened at the sound of her voice, making her do the same as she wondered if something was wrong, if she had crossed some sort of line and not noticed and now he was upset with her. But his next words left her bewilder.

“Will you...say my name?” He asked of her softly, not looking up, his eyes bathed in the shadows of his hair which made them impossible to see at the moment. The younger of the pair blinked her wide green eye, not sure what he meant by this or what the purpose was. “Jeff?” She said it as a question, watching him closely for his reaction, not sure what to expect. He seemed to stiffen just that much more, shaking his head a little, that frown deepening a bit. “No, I mean...I mean my full name. I...Please? I just...I just want to know what it sounds like from you…” Again Mary was at a loss, staring at the raven across the way from her for a long time with a soft eye and a subtle frown. It was several moments before she at last spoke, “Jeffrey…” It held a fair amount of her own uncertainty in that small softly spoken word. The raven remained stiff as a board, unmoving for a moment or several, “Again...please?” His voice quieter now.

“Jeffrey...?” 

He moved now, away from where he had been leaning on the counter to walk over to her, stopping directly in front of her. “Again…” The raven asked even quieter now, still sounding uncertain and yet some how excited as he waited for her to comply once more. “Jeffrey…” Mary felt her heart picking up pace, whither from worry or excitement she wasn’t quite sure. The elder teen slowly loosened his arms, hands hovering a moment between them, fingers trembling slightly. Before at last he reached out, so much about all this was uncharacteristic of him as he wrapped his arms slowly around her waist and leaned forward, laying his head against her chest. Rather it was that he put his ear to her heart, listening to the rhythmic beating. Feeling his own heart calm slightly at the sound as he took a long, slow breath and let it out once more, “Again…” He felt the way she moved now, the way she seemed to stiffen for a time, before she relaxed in his arms. Felt one of her hands settle on his left shoulder, the other began carding gentle fingers through his tangled black hair. And oh how he had not expected the way that simple motion made him swell with joy, contentment. Made him never want to move from that spot again. “Jeffrey...It’s...okay.” She wasn’t sure why she said it, why she felt like she needed to reassure him of this, whatever this was. But when she had said his name this time? It had held no uncertainty, just relaxed, calm confidence. And Jeffrey indeed felt better hearing her say it this time, found he liked his name on her tongue more and more the more times she said it. They remained this way for some time, hours probably, before Jeffrey felt the time. Knew without looking that it was now night time as a sigh slipped his discolored lips, he didn’t want to move. Didn’t want Mary to stop playing with his hair or stop listening to her heart beating against his ear. Didn’t want her to leave. But he needed to get her home. “It’s getting late,” He mumbled softly, resigned in the way he said it, “I should walk you back.” 

“If you’re sure.” She said quietly, both hands now settled on his shoulders as he looked up at her, looking tired but calm. A natural tired, not a stressful one like he usually seemed to be. A gently smile pulled at her lips, something glittering in her eye that he didn’t yet understand. Somehow he knew it was a good thing, though he didn’t know why. “Yeah, better or they might send a search party after you.” He joked with a small chuckle, Mary laughed softly with a nod. He lingered a few more minutes, just holding her like he had been, watching her eye as she gazed back into his. Memorizing her features for some reason. Like he didn’t already know them well enough. Like he was afraid he wouldn’t ever see them again. Smile barked behind him in the main part of the room, startling both teens who jerked back from each other, having moved so much closer than they had realized. Now red faced, they parted completely. Mary slipped from the counter and Jeff moved to get his hoodie from the back of his small couch, starting to slip it on, but pausing as he glanced at the redhead petting his dog by the door. _ ‘It’s probably cold outside…’ _ He thought, noticing she did not have a jacket or anything aside from what she was already wearing and the dress was sleeveless. Glancing back at the hoodie in his hands he swallowed nervously and walked over to her, holding it out to her, trying to control the warmth on his cheeks. “Here, you’ll catch a cold if you’re not careful and E.J’ll have my ass if you do.” Mary blinked and then smiled, cheeks staining pink as she slipped it on. 

The walk to the house seemed to be so short this time, neither wanted to make it there. Though they didn’t talk much, walking perhaps a bit closer than was needed all the way through the forest, it felt like a punishment, almost, knowing they would soon part ways. Jeff kept his hands in the pockets of his jeans, glancing every once and awhile at Mary beside him, occasionally catching her looking back. Which would only make them both blush and look away again. But it also left them both smiling, the raven most of all.  _ ‘She’s not bothered by me at all…’ _ He realized with a small grin, heart doing this unusual stutter in his chest as they passed through the cemetery. Before either knew it they stood on the steps of Slender’s house, quietly looking at anything but the other teen for some time. “So...I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess?” Mary asked softly as she slipped the hoodie off and handed it to him, it was indeed cold, the air making her shiver when it met her now bare arms. The raven nodded, finally looking at her with this sort of odd smile. Like excitement, but not like the excitement he got killing, this was something new. Something more pure. “Yeah, I’ll be over before lunch, maybe earlier. We can hang out.” 

Mary nodded, “‘Kay, I’ll see you then.” She opened the front door, moving to go inside, pausing a moment to look back as he made his way down the stairs and slipped on his jacket. “Good night, Jeffrey.” She said it quickly, blushing deeply as she went inside and up to her room quickly before anyone in the house could see her face, grinning all the while. Leaving Jeff to stare wide eyed at the front door in wonder, before his lips pulled into a wide smile and he made his way home, heart dancing happily all the way.

 

* * *

 

Why did his nightmares have to feel so real? It was a question Jeff asked himself often and tonight was no different as he lay staring at the ceiling of his apartment, woken yet again by the horror his own mind liked to throw at him when he least wanted or expected it. After such a surreal day, surrounded by the unrealistic normality of this pleasant new reality with not just his brother, but Mary and the rest of those living in Slenderman's home in the woods, it was hard to tell which was the world of his sleeping mind and which the reality. The nightmares only got more twisted the more time he spent around those in that house, especially a certain redhead whose very existence confused his every waking moment anyway and who had also become the center feature in all his recent night terrors. First was the dream in which he had seen another version of himself holding her corpse for him to see, claiming it an accident. And then tonight...tonight's had been almost worse. He did not even realize he was falling back to sleep as he silently mused the recent nightmare, unconsciously reaching up and pulling the mask over his eyes before rolling onto his side. Tonight he had been in a large room, unable to see the walls or ceiling for the shadows around him, only the small circle of floor that was bathed in low light. At the center of the room had been a large tub, filled almost to the brim in crimson, the smell of copper and iron was overwhelming to the point it made even  **_him_ ** sick to his stomach. And it was a smell he was normally very used to and tended to enjoy quite a bit. But not this night, not in this nightmare. No, he felt ill when he leaned over the bathtub to get a better look at the sticky substance, reaching out already stained hands toward his own reflection in the surface of it, not quit touching the surface. As he had peered into it something in the corner of the tub caught his eye. 

Now, he shouldn't have been shocked to see whom it was, given the course of his dreams over the past months, but seeing Mary there never seemed to cease in making his heart hurt; None of this ever settled well with him. The organ beating rapidly in his ribcage gave a painful lurch as he stared into her single, lifeless emerald green eye. Her chest torn open and empty of organs, no doubt sitting at the bottom of the fluids in the tub she sat in, clothes stained red and mouth slightly open. He had lifted his hands to touch her, choking on any words that might have attempted to climb to the surface as he felt his eyes water, vision slightly blurry. In his stained hands was a freshly bloodied kitchen knife. He woke seconds after seeing it, gasping and jerking violently upward in his bed, ripping the eye mask from his sweaty face. Panting, he looked around his apartment in shocked horror as he tried to remind himself it was merely a nightmare and nothing more. Except...that when he looked down at his hands...they were caked in dried blood. Blood that stained his clothes and bed covers. Blood that had not been there when he had gone to sleep. His stomach twisted, heart stopping briefly as he launched himself from his bed and ran into his bathroom, flinging the door so hard on its hinges that the knob cracked the plaster of the wall behind it on impact. The floor was smeared in crimson, as were the walls, mirror and....the tub...Blue eyes spied a shock of red hair and for a moment he thought he might be ill, might actually lose whatever was in his stomach right there on the floor at the sight of the corpse in his tub that mimicked the very nightmare that had woken him. 

But, as he grew closer, his limbs feeling like lead weights, Jeffery realized the corpse was not that of Mary. It was just some woman with slightly similar colored hair. It was the only feature similar to hers too, this woman otherwise looked nothing like Mary, she was much older and not nearly as thin and frail looking. The only question that remained was when had he killed her and better yet, when had he dragged her into his home? He didn't recall leaving his apartment after arriving earlier that evening. He had gotten home, eaten a T.V dinner and watched the news on the tiny cheap television on his kitchen counter, before heading to bed for the night. A new sort of horror settled in his stomach as he realized how familiar this felt. It had been much like the night he had murdered his parents, left unable to distinguish reality from dream, thinking he was imagining it all and then finding the whole event foggy in his mind later. Had Jeff actually blacked out and killed someone, again?! Worse still, had anyone seen him?! Did he leave a trail behind?!?! Panicked, the teen ran back into the main room of his small home and flipped on the lights. Finding there was indeed a trail of blood leading from his front door and vanishing under it. With a livid curse he opened the door, peeking out into the night, seeing blood leading to his door and toward the stairs that lead up to his floor a few doors down. Closing the door, his heart hammering, he struggled to figure out what to do. It was so close to dawn now that he wouldn't have time to clean up all the mess, someone was bound to see that and then he was screwed! A string of curses left the raven man as he rushed to his closet and retrieved a duffel bag, filling it with what little he owned, like his clothes, knives, spare pair of shoes. Lingering a moment on the photo album he retrieved from under his bed, swallowing thickly as he shoved it too in the bag before picking up his cellphone from the nightstand, dialing the one emergency contact he had, "Come on, come on! Answer the fucking phone you stupid bastard!" He hissed, picking up the single framed photo from the stand by his bed and adding it as well, not once looking at it. Gathering the few remaining items he could remember, he zipped up the bag just as a groggy voice answered the phone.

_ “The hell Jeff, it’s four in the fucking morning…” _

“Finally you answer! Fuck! I know it's early alright, this is a god damn emergency! Can you meet me at the cemetery in like half an hour?” He asked as he shouldered the bag and snuck from his apartment, glancing back at it as he slowly shut the door, it had been the first place he had truly been able to call his own and now he wouldn’t be able to come back. He had lost his home yet again. Letting out a shaky breath, he turned and trotted down the stairs, walking briskly toward the woods.  _ “Emergency? What happened?! Are you okay?!”  _ The voice asked with clear concern, which Jeff half heartedly smiled out. Given the amount of grief he had put the guy through it was a wonder the other could feel anything but animosity toward him. “I’m not injured, I don’t think at least. Look...it’s complicated, just meet me there and I’ll explain.” He told the other, whom agreed and hung up, presumably to get ready and meet Jeff.

And sure enough, half an hour’s walk later, someone was waiting in the Rosswood Graveyard for him. Laughing Jack lifted his head, arms falling from where they had been crossed over his thin chest, mouth falling open in shock and moving to no doubt ask him if he was okay. But Jeffrey was faster to speak, “I’m not injured. I just...Fuck…” He swallowed thickly, dropping his bag on the ground and collapsing to sit on a smaller headstone, deflating after the chaos from when he had woken. “I killed someone Jack…” The clown snorted softly, seeming to think this statement was rather funny, “That’s nothing new-”

“I don’t remember doing it.” Blue eyes stared at his stained fingers, hands settled between his knees as he leaned forward a bit with slumped shoulders, looking defeated. Jack came up short for a reply, shutting his black lined mouth. “I woke up like this Jack. My apartment was a wreck, there was a body in my tub...I thought I was having a nightmare and when I woke up that’s what a I found.” Silence fell between them for a long while until Laughing Jack found his voice again, “Has this...happened before?” Jeff didn’t answer for awhile, trying to work passed the lump in his throat, shaking his head a bit as he put a hand to his eyes. Running trembling fingers through his wild black hair, “Once. When I was fourteen...the night...the night I killed the Woods family.” He didn’t have the heart to call them his parents or even his family, it was more painful admitting such a thing out loud. “But not since then and it was nothing as terrible as this….Fucking shit Jack, I had a dream I murdered Mary! For God’s sake the woman in my tub looked a lot like her!” The teen let out a small, hysterical laugh before swallowing thickly, shaking his head again. Horror written on his pale face, disgust at himself, fear of what he might have nearly done. “Wh-what if I had killed her Jack...Holy hell...Wha-what if I’m losing control of my mind!? I could hurt her and not be able to stop! Or anyone else...Fuck!” The teen gripped at his hair, doubling over like a scared animal as he slid off the stone to sit on the ground. “Y-you gotta do something Jack...You gotta help me!” The clown felt his heart sink in pity for the teen, unable to think of anything to aid him. He had never seen him looking quite so broken and upset. Angry sure. Depressed even. But this? This was well out of the range of what the monochrome man had grown to recognize in the teenager before him. 

“I-I want you to kill me…”

Jack jerked in shock, eyes going wide as his face paled considerably. “I can’t! Jeff you're talking crazy!”

“ **_I KNOW!_ ** ” Jeff screamed at the clown, lifting his head so fast it was a wonder he wasn’t dizzy afterward. Tears clung to his cheeks, chilled by the autumn air. “I  **_know_ ** ...But what else is there? I don’t want to hurt her...I don’t want to end up doing to her what I did to Liu or worse! I-I...I care about her Jack…” He admitted the last bit softly, hanging his head as the saltwater dripped down his chin, some of the tears catching in the scars on his face and clinging to them for some time before rolling to his lips, his heart raced in his chest. “Fuck, I haven't given a shit about anyone in years...not like this...I could stab you right now without batting an eye, but...I...Holy shit that came out wrong! No, I mean-” Jeff looked up at the clown in horror, disbelief in his voice as he had realized too late what he had said.

Laughing Jack chuckled softly, waving his clawed hand in front of himself, “No, you're fine. I got what you meant. Not like that can actually kill me anyway.” He replied, the tense air seeming to ease up a bit, “Listen, I think I know what you should do.”

“What?” Jeff lifted his head, wiping at the moisture on his face, cheeks stained red for so many more reasons than the blood he was smearing there. “Move back into the house, live in your old room again.”

The teen deadpanned a moment, eyes going wider than normal, “A-are you insane!? Aside from the obvious fact Mary lives there, my room is directly next to hers! Are you trying to tempt fate?!” Jack shook his head at the younger man's concerns, his expression calm and perhaps a bit soft with fondness, “Not at all. I think it’ll help alleviate your insecurities by sharing a space with her. You like her Jeff, that’s pretty damned obvious or she would have ended up dead by now. Lets face it, you wouldn’t have saved her that night on the cliff if you didn’t have some sort of feelings for her.”

The shorter raven was quiet a moment, face feeling hot, “What do you mean…?” He asked uncertainly, trying to wrap his head around what he knew in his heart to be true long before L.J spoke again. Jack was right. “You’re in love Jeffery Woods. You’ve tried to deny it since day one, but the more you try to fight with your feelings the more you're going to lose control. It’s perfectly healthy to be in love you know, so you shouldn’t be ashamed of it.” The teen shook his head and sighed, “I’m not ashamed.” He couldn’t deny Jack’s words, as much as he wanted to, “But, it's not healthy to have dreams of killing the person you're in love with either, is it?” A clawed hand settled comfortingly on his shoulder, making him look up into silver eyes, “You have those dreams because your insecure about yourself. Trust me, live in the house for awhile and you’ll feel better...Besides,” The clown shrugged and turned in the direction of the house, walking toward the trees, “I’m sure Mary will be more than thrilled to see you living there for awhile.” He winked at the teen over his shoulder before vanishing into the shadows, leaving Jeff open mouthed in shock.

____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long as all heck wait guys TTwTT Lot going on in my life atm that I'm trying to work around! Hey, check out my devianart at https://grellex2.deviantart.com/ and my youtube channel {https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD3-qrxsL5bkbguhKv5r8-w} for lots of fun creepypasta content! ^w^


	10. Beware the White Rabbit

Jeff stood outside the front door, bag in hand, staring with apprehension at it. It was a long time before he finally sighed, reaching out and turning the handle, slipping inside quietly. He could hear Laughing Jack talking quietly to someone in the living room and when he turned the corner he saw it was Jill, the clown girl that looked a lot like the monochrome man. They weren’t related, so he was told, it was simply odd coincidence that they looked the same. Beyond the pair, something was curled up in one of the chairs in front of the fire, a mess of red hair was all he could make out in the low light of the wood burning in the hearth. Frowning a little he watched Jack move to wake whomever it was, hearing soft mumbled words but unable to make them out. His frown deepened as he made his way up the stairs and down the hall to his old room, opening the door and tossing his bag onto the old desk near the bed. He wasn’t tired now, after all the excitement, he just wanted to clean up and unpack or something. The raven was still covered in blood after all, blood he didn’t want there, didn’t want to think about....for once. Gritting his teeth as he opened his duffle back, he unpacked a few of his things, setting aside the picture frame and the album in order to look for some clothes to change into for the night. 

He was alerted of company by the gentle knock on his door, looking up at the open entrance to see Mary standing there, looking tired, but with a gentle smile on her face. “Jack said you're staying for awhile, are you okay?” She asked as she approached him, glancing at his blood stained hands as he picked up his clothes, lucky it was all dry. The raven nodded a bit, frowning, “Yeah, long story...what are you doing up at this hour anyway?” Mary fidgeted at the question, reaching down to pet Smile as the husky approached her. “I just…”

“Let me guess, that big blue freak again?” Jeffrey’s frown deepened, more so when the redhead nodded in affirmation. “Jack woke me up...apparently I was screaming…” She explained softly, her eye hidden in the fringe of her hair. Jeff said nothing to this, wasn't much to say really because at the moment he didn't have a solution. He wished he could just put the fucker to sleep and be done with it, but he didn't know where he even was and the fact irritated him to no end. 

Walking toward the door, Jeff hesitated a moment, having lifted his hand to lay it on her head, but seeing his own stained fingers thought better of it. Curling his fingers into a fist in frustration, a small growl slipping his throat as he glared off to the side, “Listen...I won't let him hurt you...so...just, if you need me just yell, alright?” The smallest tinge of red coated his cheeks, beneath the blood smeared there. Mary blinked her good eye, looking a little surprised, before smiling softly once more and nodding. She lingered a few more minutes, before retreating to her room for the night. Hopefully to sleep, which the raven did as well soon after cleaning up and changing clothes. After several hours of tossing Jeff eventually fell into an exhausted sleep, thankfully free of any form of nightmares or dreams. 

The next morning he awoke to a chilled room, shuddering and grumbling with annoyance as he turned onto his side and pulled his blankets more tightly around him. But after awhile he realized he wasn't going to be able to fall back to sleep like this and got up, dressing and pulling on his hoodie as he made his way down stairs, finding Tim in the living room watching the news with Brian seated beside him, both drinking coffee. Smile trotted down with Jeff, moving off to the fireplace once at the bottom where wood burned warmly inside hearth. Turning in a customary circle before lying down with a wide yawn of his grinning jaw. The raven kept his hands in his pocket, glancing into the kitchen for a moment when he saw red out of the corner of his eye. Mary stood at the stove next to Laughing Jack, smiling no less as they worked together making pancakes. The raven ignored the way his heart leapt when she turned half way and saw him, offering a small, sweet smile. Smiling a tiny bit back, he walked into the kitchen, coming a little closer to the pair. “Did you sleep well?” Mary asked as she turned back to the pan, flipping the breakfast item within carefully. The elder teen shrugged, though she couldn’t see it, “Yeah...I guess…” He replied after a moment, realizing she wouldn’t have seen his nonverbal response. The shorter raven walked up beside her, on the opposite side as Jack, leaning up against the counter as he watched her cook out of the corner of his blue eyes. L.J had this secretive smirk on his black lips too, the whole time, which annoyed Jeff to no end but he said nothing. “What about you, Razorblade? That candy coated nut bugging you still?” Jeff observed her, having let the nickname slip,  paid close mind to the fact she stiffened at the question. Unconsciously taking note of the bags that had formed under her eye.  

It also didn’t escape him the way Laughing Jack frowned and glanced at her, then around the room, as if waiting for something. _ ‘So Jack’s aware that thing is probably in the house…’ _ Jeff thought, narrowing his eyes a little. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his eye drops, putting a few in as Mary finally answered the question. “I slept fine.” The words were stiff, polite, like she had rehearsed them one too many times. The elder teen looked away from her, shrugging away from the counter, “Right, real fine with those dark circles under your eyes…” He growled, getting unintentionally angry, though it wasn’t meant completely at her. He was more mad at this ‘Candy Pop’ guy than her, though it bothered him that she couldn’t admit something was wrong. That she needed him…”Jeff I-”

“Save it. Just let that blue freak know when he wants to grow some real balls he can come find me, instead of targeting a defenseless girl.” He replied flippantly, venom in his voice as he had moved to leave the room. The sound of something slamming against the counter made him pause, turning around to see what it was. To his surprise he found Mary’s fist curled up on the counter, her back to him, but her head turned enough for him to see the deep frown on her pale lips. “I am not defenseless!” She said it low, but easily loud enough to be heard. For some reason the words pissed him off more, “Riiiight~ So it was just an illusion you got the shit beat outta you buy a bunch of assholes? Or how about that step dad of yours beating the shit out of you for a radio that was ‘too’ loud?” Jeffrey felt his insides twist at his own taunting words, feeling like he had swallowed molten lead. The room was eerily silent as he watched the redhead stand as still as stone, for a moment he seemed like she might argue more, but instead she seemed to crumble slowly like a rock being beaten by ocean waves. Laughing Jack looked between them, before shooting a glare of the shorter raven, “Jeff that wasn’t fair-” He began, but Mary reached out and touched his arm with shaking fingers, “No...no he’s right...I...I’ve not proven myself yet, up till now I’ve only gotten beaten by everyone I’ve gone up against…”

“Mary…?” Jack frowned deeply at her as she walked away from the kitchen and went up stairs, the sound of her door shutting gently the only sound that reached them aside from the news on the TV in the living room. Jeff glared at the floor, hands clenched beside him. L.J opened his mouth to say more, but the smaller raven cut him off, “I know...Just...just shut up, alright?!” He growled as he walked from the room, heading up to his own room, he lingered a moment in the hall watching the redhead’s door. Jeffrey wanted to go in there and just apologize, just...just go back to yesterday and that sweet little bliss in his kitchen. But another part of him wanted to push her away, deny this before it got so bad he couldn’t live without her…

_ ‘Fuck...who am I kidding…? I already can’t...but...I’m no good for her...she would be better off with Liu or something. Anyone but me...’ _

The raven sighed, opening his door and stepping inside, he laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling awhile. Growing more and more restless, he glanced at his bag still sitting on the desk, spotting his photo album near it. He recalled some time back Mary asking about his past, that he had told her he might tell her the truth some day. Jeff wondered if today was a good day for that, maybe she would understand him...understand what he was afraid of with her. Or even push her far enough away she might stay safe. Frowning deeply he turned his eyes back to the ceiling, glaring at it now. Finally he let out an annoyed sound, sitting up and walking over to the desk, he grabbed the album and went to Mary’s room. Knocking on the door and waiting for an answer. Seconds ticked past into minutes, making him frown more and more, “Mary…? Listen, can we...can we talk? Please?”

Still no answer.

Jeff hummed softly under his breath in irritation, “Look, I-I’m sorry alright?! I didn’t mean what I said in the kitchen, I’m just...I’m just worried about you, okay?!” Silence from the other side of the door. The raven did not notice the blonde head floating up behind him, dressed all in forest greens, a smirk on his lips. “Never thought hell would freeze over and I would get to hear the fearsome  _ ‘Jeff the Killer’ _ apologize for something~” BEN cooed, laughing all the more when Jeff growled at him and swung back to hit him, “Fuck you  **glitch** ! You don’t even know me!”

BEN smirked, floating well out of reach toward the ceiling, “I know you’re an asshole and always acting like a tough shit, I also know your slow as dial up when it comes to fighting!” The blonde laughed, the raven cursing and lunging for him with a shout, but the computer ghost vanished into a light socket with a loud ‘pop’ his laughter echoing in the hall in his wake. The raven grit his teeth, punching the wall hard enough to crack the aged plaster wallpaper, feeling it cut into his knuckles but not caring. BEN appeared down the hall, but Jeff ignored him, turning on Mary’s door and knocking again, this time harder, smearing red on the surface. Cringing a little when he noticed. But again there was no answer and at this point he was somewhere between pissed and worried, “Alright, if you don’t answer me I’m going to just come in there dammit!”

The raven waited, BEN drifting up near him again, frowning as well, “Not like her to ignore YOU of all people...what did you do to piss her off?” He asked, but was promptly ignored as Jeff finally just opened the door, only to find the room empty. The window and shutters wide open, a gust of air making them clatter a little on their hinges. A curse slipped the teens lips, BEN doing much the same as the raven dropped what he was holding and dashed down the stairs without pausing. Outside he practically leapt down the steps of the porch, stumbling a little as he turned back to be sure the redhead wasn’t just on the roof, but was shocked to see sheets tied together from the bottom of her window and leading down off the second floor and ending halfway to the ground. 

**‘I haven’t proven myself…’** The words echoed in his mind, his heart stopping a moment, had she gone into town then? Or worse, gone to confront that blue menace?! Swallowing thickly he turned to the woods without a second thought, heading straight for town, praying to whatever being might listen she was okay. That he had not pushed her into another deadly situation. 

After checking the graveyard and half the neighborhoods, he was beyond panic, wondering where the hell she could have...sirens, he could just hear them in the direction of her old home. He felt his heart drop into his stomach as he ran in that direction,  _ ‘Please don’t let it be her…’ _

**_An hour before…_ **

Mary paced angrily in her room, glaring at the floor as she went back and forth across the floral throw rug, clenching and unclenching her fists. As much as she wanted to deny what Jeff had said in the kitchen she could not, she had done nothing but show weakness, over and over again. She wanted to prove she was capable, that she did not need baby sitting, that people didn’t need to worry about her all the time and constantly jump to her defence. A single green eye spotted the jar of preserved eyes on her bookshelf, watching them bob a little in the discolored fluid. A deep frown on her lips, she glanced at the door to her room, knowing full well no one would willingly let her leave. A plan formed in her mind and before long she was out her window, climbing down a makeshift rope of sheets like in some silly movie, dropping onto the grass barefoot. Having not bothered with shoes as she silently snuck into the forest, after all she was quieter without them. The first place she had gone was the house of the little blonde retch who had given Oliva the spork, easily breaking in as Jeff had shown her how to do.

It was so simple gaining access to the knives in the kitchen, picking the biggest one with a thrill of excitement, getting a wild look in her green eye as she located a spoon from the drawers. Stepping with silent feet though the small house, she found the girl's parents first, lingering in their doorway a time in thought. Wondering if she should kill them or not, really they hadn’t done anything directly to Mary. Then again they may as well be just as guilty, they had to know what their daughter had down, had to have helped bury the truth and avert the blame...A smile curved Mary’s lips as she walked into the room, shutting the door with a gentle click. The redhead made quick work of them, slitting the wife’s throat first and then the fathers, relishing a moment in their shocked expressions as they choked on their own blood. No sounds made beyond those. Turning from the now blood stained bed, she left the room, door ajar as she made her way to the blonde’s room. 

This time taking her time, waking the girl on purpose as she jumped up onto the bed and sat herself on the blonde’s chest neatly, smiling down at her when she started to yell and then babble sleepily in confusion. “Did you think you got away with it? Huh?” Mary got up when the girl shoved her off, laughing as she attempted to run, only to run into a locked door, “Ah-ah~ Don’t run...It’ll only hurt more if you run…” Mary taunted, lunging and tackling the girl to the floor with surprising ease, plunging the knife into her chest repeatedly with a wide grin. Once her eye was freed of its socket she left the girl to bleed out, watching her a few minutes as crimson soaked the carpet. This time the smell no longer bothered her, hell she was starting to enjoy this. Seeing someone deserving punished made this such a sweet sight to her.

Once she was outside again, Mary stuck to the shadows, her gray dress smeared in brilliant red as she walked, still holding the knife and spoon in one hand, fiddling with her new ‘friend’ in the other. She wondered where to go from there, one of them was still in the hospital as far as she was aware and as much as she wanted to finish Brendon now she knew there was no way she was going to get in and out of that hospital without being seen. The teen supposed she could go after Cory again, but after the fiasco the other day she wanted to take her time with him, observe him in the daylight first and take her time luring him into a situation he couldn’t escape from. Preferably without having to worry about Candy Pop interfering again. Though in hindsight she should already be worried about him interfering with everything she did, after all it was impossible to tell when it was real and when it was one of his illusions. 

At the moment she was more focused on the task at hand, glancing up as she grew closer to her street, rather the street her parents lived on. Seeing flashing lights and hearing sirens, frowning curiously as she stood just out of sight in some tall hedges across the street from the house, watching curiously. Paramedics were taking her mother out on a stretcher to an ambulance, though the redhead could not see any obvious sign something was wrong with her. A tiny part of her felt a pang of sorrow at the sight, as horrible as she had been this was after all her mother...the only parent she had left. Someone her father had loved, though the very thought amazed Mary. Her father had been such a kind man to marry such an unkind woman…

The teens single green eyes shifted from the elder woman to something moving toward the house in the shadows across the way from where she was hiding, frowning deeply when she spotted a shock of stark white and jet black. Her heart dropped into her stomach, realizing instantly whom it was. Her only conclusion was that he thought she was in the house or something, it was the only thing that made since as to why he was willingly going into a house crawling with armed police! Biting her lip, she glanced at the cop cars, the lights, the distracted policemen and paramedics, hesitating a moment before dashing across the street into the next door neighbors brush. Ducking down, heart pounding in fear and worry, she made her way in the direction she had seen the raven boy going.  _ ‘Please, please don’t go in the house…’ _

Not seeing him behind the house, she softly called out to him near the bushes, but received no answer. Spotting a window open, she bit her lip, looking around to be sure no one would see her. Two uniformed men coming around the corner and looking around, thankfully not hard enough, they didn’t see her at least. Swallowing the thick feeling in her throat, before slipping in the window when the lights were turned toward the back of the yard. The window had lead into her old bedroom, which was still littered with packed and semi-packed boxes. Though unlike last time, the room looked like someone had trashed it in a fit. It was dark there, the only light from outside and that was very little, it was a cloudy night. Mary crept silently through the room, slipping out the slightly open door, she searched for Jeffrey. Not daring call out, even in a whisper, it was too risky. 

Mary crept silently across the floor boards toward the lights shining from the foyer, still not seeing Jeff anywhere around. The sound of a board creaking made her freeze, thinking at first it was her whom had made the sound, but when a second creak resonated her single green eye grew wide. Heart racing as she slowly turned her head, half shifting her body to look down the nearly black hall behind her. There, in the inky darkness, stood a tall figure. Every bit six foot, lean. Eyes like molten silver shined out, peering at her as it drew closer and closer. The light from behind her cast the being in soft white glow, illuminating silvery hair, pale skin, and a face stained by blackened  tears. Large, thin horns spiraled out from the top of his head, curling together to create two twin appendages that reminded Mary of large rabbit ears in a vague since. But what made her heart stop in her chest was that the being had something large thrown over its shoulder. The thing it held was limp, wearing dark wash jeans and...a white hoodie smeared in crimson. The redhead’s breath caught as she mouthed the ravens name as her knife clattered loudly to the floor, shaking fingers reaching out toward him, the smell of fresh blood hitting her hard. The creatures clawed fingers dripped with it, the sound of the tiny drops hitting the floor with a symphony of pain that crashed into her chest like a fist.   
  
The being grimaced at the sound of metal hitting hardwood, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. From the foyer voices could be heard, footsteps drawing closer. The creature looked...worried as he gazed down out the wide eyed and frozen redhead. He could tell she wasn't moving, clearly didn't notice the fast approaching people. Debating only moment he moved forward, blindingly fast, he struck her on the back of the head. Mary crumbled into the beings waiting arm, out cold.

Jeff was the first to awaken, letting out a low groan, his head was pounding. He felt like he had been hit by a truck. The last thing he remembered was slipping into Mary’s mother’s house, looking for her in the back part of it and running across-!? The raven sat forward suddenly, ignoring the throbbing in his chest when he did, looking around him, noticing first that he was no longer in the house but in the forest. Blue eyes settled on the vision of silver and black, the curving horns like rabbit’s ears. The creature was hunched over something ten feet from where the teen had been laying against a tree, looking at it with curious and sad silver eyes, reaching out a single clawed finger to touch the face of a pale redhead. The boy’s heart thudded madly in his chest, scrambling instantly to his feet and lunging at the demon with a shout, “Get your filthy claws away from her!”

The silver monster leapt back before the raven boy could land a punch on him, frowning deeply a second before his lips turned into a taunting smile. Black coat settling around him like great wings folding, “Oh, so protective...is she the reason you were in that house?” The teen let out a growl, “What’s it matter to you, huh?” The creature paced around the boy in a wide circle, Jeff keeping himself ever between the monster and Mary who remained unconscious. He was worried, all the comotion should have roused her by now, yet she did not move. Daring to glance down, he searched quickly for any injuries, bit it was hard to tell if the blood on her was hers or anothers. “I’m merely curious...of that look in your eye when you gaze at her. It’s almost...as if your…”

“Fuck off asshole, it’s none of your business how I look at Mary. The only thing you need to know is if you don’t back off I’m going to put your ass to sleep!” The raven told the whitette with venomous words, watching him again for a moment when Mary let out a soft moan, turning onto her side. Jeff glanced down again, seeing her sitting up slowly, looking dazed and confused a moment before she lifted her gaze to his. 

The redhead felt her heart jump seeing the older teen up and about, he was alive! But injured, three deep gashes cut across his chest at an angle from his left shoulder to his right hip. They still looked to be bleeding, already having soaked his once white hoodie dark red. “You alright Mary…?” Jeff asked as he tore his eyes back to the horned being, only to find him gone. Blue eyes went a touch wider as he looked around for the thing, worry filling him. The raven let out a vicious curse, Mary getting to her feet behind him, “I-I’m fine! B-but your not! Jeff, your bleeding!” Her normally soft voice was high with worry as she took a step closer to the other teen, who seemed to ignore it. Taking the small, chilled hands that had reached out to him and holding them still as he searched the trees. “We need to get out of here before that thing decides to attack again…” Keeping a hold on at least one of her hands the raven lead the redhead away into the forest, hoping he could get them home quickly...safely. 

Behind him Mary did her best to keep up, still worried about him, doing her best not to show how badly her head was pounding or let on to the fact her vision kept swimming dizzily. The older teen seemed to preoccupied trying to find their way, but only getting more and more frustrated as he realized he really had no clue where they were...how close or far from Rosswood they actually were. Or whither they were even on the same plane…Jeff had been on a separate plane once before, after a chance meeting with a demon by the name of Zalgo about two years prior. The experience had been unnerving and disorienting. 

The raven stumbled after a moment, leaning against a tree and cursing lividly as the world seemed to spin. _ ‘Fuck...why am I so dizzy?!’ _ He wondered, looking down at his chest as he felt cold fingers against his skin, seeing the large gashes once more.  _ ‘Oh...right…’ _ He thought lamely, hearing something as if he was under water, lifting blue eyes to see Mary. There were tears in her eye, cascading down her pale face, he could make out his name on her lips as she appeared to be shouting at him. Why couldn’t he hear her…? His whole body felt so heavy suddenly…

The raven didn’t even realize he was on the ground, his vision slowly going dark as he stared up at the trees over their heads. It was only thanks to the fact he could not close his eyes that he even appeared awake at all, leaving Mary trying uselessly to get him to respond. “Jeff?! Jeffrey! C-come on! **PLEASE WAKE UP?!** ” She cried, unsure what to even do. He was hurt, badly, that was obvious. The gashes didn’t seem to be stopping in their bleeding at all and they weren’t even close to home as far as she knew, let alone town. Neither of them even had a-A phone! Thinking fast she searched Jeff’s hoodie pockets, not even noticing when she managed to cut her wrist on his knife, far more worried about saving his life. Finally she wrapped her hands around a small smartphone, fumbling with it a moment before managing to unlock it. Finding the contacts list she hit the first number she saw, none of them seemed to have actual names, just rude nicknames. This one was title ‘Assclown’ and she sincerely hoped whomever it was was friendly…

Several moments passed before there was an answer, a familiar voice picking up with an annoyed noise, “Jeff, I swear on Slender’s nonexistent face if you call me at three in the morning one more time I’m making a gutterfly with your intestines and giving them to Smile for fucking Christmas!”

Mary tried to hold in a sob, but it slipped, “J-Jack?” She asked to be sure, trying to form the words, one hand still on Jeff’s chest, over his heart no less. Praying the beating she was feeling beneath her fingertips was his and not her own wildly beating heart. “Mary…? Wh-why do you have Jeff’s phone? Are you crying?!” Laughing Jack asked, voice growing a little clearer and a lot louder over the phone, obvious waking up fast. The redhead was still struggling to form words. “What’s the matter? Mary are you hurt?! Where’s Jeff?!”

“H-he...J-jack he’s I think...I...Jeff’s….HNGH!” The young teen curled into a ball next to the raven who was still staring blankly at the sky, “Mary? Why do you have Jeff’s phone?” A chill wind blew past and with it came small flakes of white snow. “H-he’s not...I-I don’t think h-he’s breathing Jack!” She finally managed, hearing her friend suck in a sharp breath. “Mary, try to stay calm. Panicking isn’t going to help him. Can you tell me where you are?”

“N-no...W-we’re in the woods s-somewhere...We were a-attacked and when I-I woke up we were out here! I don’t know h-how to get home or even to t-town! I don’t know what to do Jack!” Mary cried as she closed her good eye, the snow settling on the ground around them and in the branches slowly. She didn’t even notice how cold it was. Jack continued to talk to her in a calming way, trying to comfort her as best he could as he attempted to figure out how to help her. “Mary, can you tell me exactly what’s wrong with Jeff? I’m going to try to walk you through how to help him okay?” Mary nodded, though she was aware the clown couldn’t see and mumbled a soft, choked ‘okay’. Sitting up slowly, she dared look up at his eyes, the normally bright blue seemed so much duller right then and it made her heart want to shatter. She couldn’t help feeling like he wouldn’t be like this if she hadn’t run off like she had. Swallowing thickly, she forced herself to focus, looking down at the gashes on his chest. “Uh-um, he’s bleeding, a lot. There’s um...three large gashes across his chest.”

“Alright...safe to say his hoodie its ruined anyway, so I want you to use it to stem the blood flow. Set the phone down and try to get it off him, okay?”

Mary did as she was told, hands shaking all the while. It wasn’t easy, he weighed a fair amount compared to her and the fact he was currently dead weight wasn’t helping at all. Once the hoodie was off she pressed it to the gashes, picking the phone back up and holding it to her ear with her shoulder, keeping both hands on the older teens chest. She was shaking from more than the worry at this point, only then seeming to notice the chill in the air and the snow around them that was building up at a reasonably quick pace. “J-jack...it’s...snowing…” She mumbled softly, the smallest smile turning up her lips, though it was only halfhearted. “R-real snow…” 

For a moment Jack did not reply, he wasn’t sure at first how to. On his end he was waking Eyeless Jack and getting the others up to help him search for the missing teens, halfway down the front porch when he two looked up and noticed the snowflakes, “That’s right...you’ve never seen the real thing…” The monochrome clown frowned a little, he could hear her beginning to cry again, “It’s going to be okay Mary...when this is over we’re going to build a snowman as big as Slender’s house and then drink cocoa till we pop!” 

“A-all of us…?”

“That’s right, all of us…”

Silence a moment, he listened to her sobbing softly, the sound a bit muffled. “Even...even Jeffrey…?” Laughing Jack swallowed, fighting the urge to cry himself, “Yeah, him too...Don’t cha worry Gumdrop, we’re all looking for you guys, won’t be long!” Though it seemed like forever before anyone found them, it was at least two hours, that Jack was sure of. In the end it was Smile and Toby who came across them first, Eyeless Jack and himself the first to respond to youngest Proxies shouting from some eighty feet. Mary was sitting on her knees, hands pressed to Jeff’s chest with the remains of his hoodie, which was now almost completely soaked. She was shaking violently from the cold and only half there when L.J wrapped a blanket around her, helping her to her feet as the others carefully moved Jeff with Slenderman’s help. Back at the house a fire was quickly started, BEN being given the task of making sure all the hearths in the house were lit and all the vents opened in order to heat the place faster. Eyeless Jack was busy tending to Jeff, with Jason’s assistance this time, as Laughing Jack was busy taking care of the smaller, more frozen redhead. 

At some point Liu arrived back with the rest of the household, going immediately to Mary who was seated close to the living room fire, wrapped in several throws. He didn’t really speak at first, just knelt down to her, reaching out scared hands to lift her face to look at him. Her single eye was distant, rimmed red from sobbing so long. She was still crying a little, though it had ebbed greatly from fatigue. “Are you okay…?” He asked her, watching as she finally seemed to see him, her mouth pulled into a pained smile. “L-liu….I...I’m sorry…It’s m-my fualt.” She mumbled hoarsely, shaking her head and looking down again. No amount of coaxing got anymore out of her and after a moment Laughing Jack spoke up from his spot on the floor beside her, “It’s no use...she won’t speak much more than that to anyone else either. She’s been like this since we found them…”

Liu frowned deeply, eyes hard a moment, “Is Jeff….?” He couldn’t bring himself to say the words and the clown gave Mary a wary look, before standing, motioning the brunette to follow him up the stairs. In Jeff’s room Eyeless Jack was seated on the edge of the pale teens bed, rechecking his vitals as Jason was picking up the bowl of soiled rags and tools to be cleaned. Liu swallowed hard against the lump that formed in his throat, seeing the sight of his brother on the bed. Jeff lay very still, only in his jeans, chest wrapped tight in crisp white bandages. A makeshift IV drop tacked to the wall next to the bed, two bags of fluid being poured into the raven, one was most likely painkillers, the other was clearly blood. He was paler than Liu had ever seen him, a rag laid across his eyes so that they were unseen. And as far as the brunette could tell, Jeff was barely breathing. His chest only rising just so...Enough he knew he was alive at the very least. 

“Is he going to make it…?” The younger Woods brother asked softly, EJ lifting his head at the question. The gray skinned man letting out a heavy sigh, looking exhausted, “I don’t know for sure yet. I’ve done what I can, but between the blood loss and the near hypothermia it seems like his system is in shock. I’m going to keep an eye on him through out the night and hopefully he’ll wake up...Hm?” EJ seemed to be looking passed the pair that stood just inside the door, the raven and brunette turning to see none other than Mary standing in the hall. She still had that dead look in her eye, like the life had been drained out of her completely. “Mary...you should stay by the fire till you’ve warmed up better.” Laughing Jack said, though it didn’t have as much force as he wished it did, watching the redhead walk between himself and Liu. Mary pulled up a chair beside Jeffrey’s bed, sitting down and pulling her knees to her chest tightly as she just stared at the elder teen. 

None of them said anything at all. What could they? No one had the heart to make her leave, so instead Liu walked out of the room a moment, returning with a blanket from downstairs that she had been wrapped in. Still warm from the fire, he wrapped it around her carefully and tucked it under her feet for good measure. Smiling a tiny bit at her, relieved when she looked at him this time, blinked and slowly smiled back. Though it was dampened by her sorrow. The two Jack’s looked at each other, before silently, cleaning up the room, throwing a warm blanket over Jeff as well and bringing in a couple more chairs. 

Liu sat on the end of the bed, one leg under him, leaning against the footboard with his arms crossed over his chest. Still dressed in his trench coat and scarf, but he didn’t mind. Laughing Jack sat in a chair by the door in case anything was needed fast and Eyeless Jack sat next to Mary, keeping an eye on both his patients. At some point the redhead must have fallen asleep, laying her head on her knees. It was well into the next day before anything in the room really changed outside EJ switching the IV bags. It came in the form of a gentle, tired moan, the pale fingers of Jeff’s left hand twitching a little. 

Mary lifted her head, looking up at the raven’s face with hope, lowering her feet to the floor and leaning over so she could take the elder’s hand in both her own. “J-Jeff...can you hear me?” Her voice was soft, weak and rough, making her grimace a little. Clearing her throat as quietly as she could, Mary tried again, “Jeffrey…?” She didn’t notice the way Liu stiffened on the end of the bed, like a cat waiting to defend its young as his dark eyes strayed to his brother. _ ‘Is she trying to provoke him?!’ _ He thought fearfully, wondering if she didn’t realize the mistake she was making saying the others real name like that. He wasn’t sure at first it was simply Jeff being too weak or not, but the raven merely stilled, before seeming to relax. “M-mary…? Say...it...again...” The words were barely above a whisper, but clear enough in the quiet room. Liu’s mouth fell slightly open in shock, Eyeless Jack and Laughing Jack, whom had both been woken by Mary’s soft voice, looked just as surprised. The redhead didn’t seem anything but relieved, choking back a sob as she laughed a little, getting up from her chair and gingerly sitting on the edge of the bed beside the raven. “Jeffrey...Hmh~ I-I was so worried...I thought...I thought I lost you…” 

The hand in hers twitched again, this time those fingers wrapping around one of own hands tightly. Jeff smiled a bit, lifting his other arm with some difficulty to move the rag from his eyes so he could see her. The younger was hunched over their hands, eye closed tight as she tried not to cry again, but the tears escaped all the same. The look in the raven boys eyes was enduring, “You can’t get rid of me that easy Razorblade…” He teased her, openly using her nickname, though he felt a swarm of bats in his gut when he noticed they weren’t alone. Not about to take it back, but hoping those present kept their mouths shut at least. Mary sniffled, looking up at him with a half-hearted smile, “I-I’m sorry...you wouldn’t even be h-here if it wasn’t because of me…”

**“Bullshit.”** Jeff bit out, making the smaller teen jerk a little like she was stung. Feeling a pang of guilt, he let go of her hand, reaching out and pulling her down to half hug her to his sore chest, feeling the instant sting and nearly regretting the action as he hissed. Once he managed to the relax again, noticing Liu, but not saying anything to the brunette for now, he looked down at the top of Mary’s head. She didn’t lift her face, laying a little awkwardly, but not pulling away, he could feel her shaking. Feel the tears on his shoulder as she kept crying. Letting out a heavy sigh, he looked up at the ceiling, “It’s my own fault...I shouldn’t have said what I did in the kitchen, it wasn’t fair. I...I know you didn’t have any control over those things. And I don’t think your weak...I’ve seen you handle two guys twice your size for shits sake. I’m just...I...Well I…” He felt his face get warm, keeping his eyes on anything but the redhead that now lifted her face to look at him or the three sets of eyes watching them. “I just want...IWANTTOBETHEONETOPROTECTYOUOKAY?!” He blurted it out, yelled it really, hissing when Mary flinched at his sudden loudness. It was several silent moments before he felt Liu shift on the end of the bed, heard three sets of retreating feet and then he was alone with her. 

The silence was stifling, the raven mentally begging the younger teen to say something, literally anything! Hum! Do something! His face turning a shade closer to her hair. Finally she shifted, moving out from under his arm, which he moved to make it easier. No doubt she was going to walk out as well. He had likely pissed her off or something. So when she laid back down beside him, curled up to his side with her head on his shoulder again and her arms wrapped tightly around her own middle, being careful of his injuries no doubt, he was surprised. Blue eyes shifted to look at her, wondering what she was doing. “I don’t need to be protected…” She said quietly and he felt his heart sink a little, “But…” Mary lifted her head a bit, meeting his eyes with her single one, strands of crimson falling into the path of that missing left socket to hide it from sight, a smile pulling at her lips with her cheeks stained soft pink. She looked so damn tired right then. “I guess it is nice knowing you care that much. Just do me a favor and try harder not to get so hurt next time, okay?” Jeff’s heart stumbled in his chest as he looked at her, at least she hadn’t pushed him away. Finally he smiled a little behind his scars, “Heh, yeah, alright…” He replied as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders a little more comfortable. Gritting his teeth when he tried to shift on his side, _ ‘Fuck that hurts…’  _ He thought, quickly giving up on that. “Wh-why don’t you get some sleep...you look tired…” He mumbled, hearing Mary let out a soft laugh as she laid her head down, “I’m fine...besides if you think I’m moving anytime soon then your crazy. I’m staying right here until your better.”

It was the raven’s turn to chuckle, though it wasn’t pleasant doing so, smirking a bit. “Hmh~ I wasn’t asking you to leave.” He pointed out, almost grinning when he felt her still, glancing down to see that her face now matched her hair. “H-hush!”

“I didn’t say anything, you’re the one that laid down not-OW!”

Liu smiled a little outside the door, leaning up against the wall beside it. He’d been there the whole time, just to be sure Mary didn’t get hurt or something. After all she was still his friend...But more than that he was glad he had stayed. Standing there he had come to realize something...Mary had an effect on Jeff. One he never thought anyone would and it made him...Happy. For once he wasn’t able to hear Sully whispering in his head to kill the raven, it was silence as he listened to Mary and Jeff laughing in the next room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovlies! So sorry for the horribly long wait! I swear I'm trying to write a bit faster, but I'm tied between this story and one other, as well as my MMD Projects! Anyway, thank you all for supporting me and continuing to read! I hope your all enjoying it thus far and I also hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday! As a special treat I've also written a Christmas Special chapter that I'll post in just a few hours after this one! Just in time for Christmas day! And as a bonus I managed to get the narrative finished for the first chapter of my 'The Origin's of Jeffrey and Liu Woods' story and will hopefully have it posted on youtube by the end of the day! ^w^
> 
> My Deviantart: https://grellex2.deviantart.com/  
> My Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD3-qrxsL5bkbguhKv5r8-w?view_as=subscriber


	11. Blue Caramel

_Several days later…_

It was warm in the house, a fire burning in the hearth in the living room. The whole house brightly light with Christmas lights and decorations, children's holiday movies playing on the TV for Sally and Toby who seemed overly festive with his Santa hat and green sweater. Even Masky and Hoodie seemed to be enjoying themselves at the kitchen table playing cards and drinking eggnog. Whilst Eyeless Jack prepared dinner, Laughing Jack was busy making sweets. The monochrome clown was mixing some sort of blue paste in a bowl. This was what Mary and Jeff discovered when they descended the stairs that morning alongside Liu. All three sets of eyes wide with surprise as they took in the sights, “What the...fuck?” Jeffrey mumbled as he entered the kitchen, one hand on his aching chest, Mary excitedly moving past him and rushing right up to L.J. “Jack! Your making sweets?!” She asked, seeming much like a child in that moment, innocent and happy with a brilliant smile that left Jeff a little struck for a moment as he stood back and watched. Liu chuckled very softly and moved to the foyer, grabbing his scarf and coat, before slipping out of the house unnoticed.

“I am indeed, heh~ And it’s your favorite flavor!” L.J replied to Mary whose green eye grew larger with excitement, it was no secret to the clown that she loved sweets. To Jeff however it was a curiosity, as he hadn't known it till then. In the chaos of the past months he had not really gotten to know Mary as well as he wanted to, not that anyone knew he wanted to and he wasn’t opening his mouth. However he felt a pang of anger as he watched Laughing Jack giving the redhead a spoonful of the sticky blue junk from the bowl, catching the smirk on the monochrome being’s blackened lips. “Mmm~ I **_love_ ** blue raspberry!” Mary chimed cheerfully, not noticing the small dribble of blue that had escaped onto her chin during the exchange. Jeffrey on the other hand did. And wanting the redhead’s attention back, he stepped up and reached out, wiping it off with his thumb and licking his finger clean afterward. Smirking slightly when he got her to blush, her eye on him now.

Mary stuttered a moment, her heart pounding like mad in her chest, Something seemed to spark in her good eye, “J-Jeff...I-I didn’t know you liked sweets...erm...Which kind do you like best?” She asked him, peeking up through her bangs at the raven, whose face now turned pink. Clearly caught off guard by either the question or the realization of his own actions. Blue eyes turned away as he rubbed the back of his neck, “I uh...I liked caramel when I was kid…”

“Really?! O-okay! Uh, why don’t you see what Toby and Sally are watching?! O-Oh, I-I think Liu wanted you to go with him somewhere, right?!” She said suddenly, smiling brightly at him in that way that made his heart stumble. So when she nudged him toward the front door he didn’t really argue, just slipping on a black jacket from the pegs by the door and went out, spotting Liu waiting for him at the edge of the yard in the snow. As it was Liu had asked him the day before to come with him to the cemetery today to...The raven frowned a little, pushing the thought down for now as he approached his brother, walking beside him through the forest. “So...you and Mary then?” Liu asked him with a small smile, glancing down at the slightly shorter male, whose face reddened as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, well...nothing is official...besides she...she deserves better than me…”

“I think she’s good for you...she’s changed you for the better Jeff.” The elder raised wide blue eyes to his younger brother, “You...you think so?” He asked in disbelief, watching the brunette nod slowly, “Your more like your old self around her.” The brunette admitted with a small smile, rolling his shoulders a little with obvious discomfort. Liu looked a little nervous now, giving his brother a sidelong look, before looking at the ground as they walked. “What...what is it?” The raven felt on edge suddenly, wondering what was on his brothers mind or if he was losing control. They really shouldn’t be left along long, but Liu had assured him it was fine and that this was important. The brunette came to a stop a foot or some from the shorter of the two, lifting his forest green eyes with something like question, searching his brothers blue ones carefully. “Actually...Seeing you two together...it...it got me thinking about someone else. And I...Well I wanted you to meet them, if that’s alright? But, you have to promise not to hurt him! Y-you left your knife at the house, right?”

Jeff raised an incredulous brow, nodding slowly, he had indeed come unarmed at the other teens request. But he had assumed it was so they wouldn’t kill _EACH OTHER_ while visiting their parents graves, which was traumatic enough on its own. Not that he was meeting a stranger! Liu had told him only that he wanted them to visit those graves, as a way of saying goodbye to the past and starting fresh somehow. Starting anew. He had said then as well that he felt like Jeff was more reasonable now days and that he thought it was something that was possible. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, he followed the nervous brunette the rest of the way in silence. Liu’s nervousness did not lift, though in its own way it was welcome. The brunette seldom showed any emotion at all these days, not like when they were younger...not like before Jeff...The raven glared at the ground, hands in his hoodie pockets clenching. He didn’t want to think about that. It was hard enough not thinking about it, given the time of year. He hadn’t celebrated the holidays with anyone in years, in fact most the people at Slender’s house didn’t. It was just too hard on everyone. Most the others either left during this time or locked themselves in their rooms, especially Laughing Jack who seemed to normally have the hardest time around now. It had been a very long time before the monochrome clown had admitted to Jeff that it was due to the fact Christmas was in fact his birthday, when he was created...and when he killed the boy he was made for and started his life killing for centuries.

It made the raven teen wonder what the change was this year, why he seemed so much happier today than ever before. He didn’t dwell on it long, lifting his blue eyes from the worn path to see they had arrived in the cemetery, his eyes automatically going to the place his parents graves were alongside Liu’s and his own, only two of them containing bodies of course. His eyes settled not on the tombstones, but the person standing in front of them, dressed in a heavy blue and dark jeans. The first thing he noted was the dark red hair, cut short in a sort of bob and combed to one side which he noted when the person turned to face them as Liu separated from his apprehensive before to greet the other. The man waiting was around their age, likely closer to age with Jeff than Liu, his pale face smattered with freckles and brown eyes rimmed in dark circles. He was thin too, looked unnaturally thin, like the guy didn’t bloody know what food was. Jeff was growing more and more on edge, more wary. He felt like he recognized this man and the memory was making him feel...angry. But he didn’t know yet why...Felt himself jerk to a stop, watching Liu walk ahead to greet the redheaded man. The raven’s breathing picking up a hair, rolling his shoulders a little as he refused to come any closer.

Back at the house Mary was standing in the kitchen over a large pot, stirring a tan colored liquid with a wooden spoon. Steam rolling up from it as the stuff within bubbled and burbbled. A large smile on her face, “What now?” She asked LJ as he came over with a measuring cup of sugar. “Now we pour some more of this in and add some more vanilla! Hehe~ Your sure having fun, Gumdrop.”

The red head smiled wide, “Of course! I-I want to be happy so the candy tastes happy too! That’s what you told me when I was little, candy always tastes best when made with joy! S-so I want this candy to taste the best!” She explained, cheeks staining pink as she continued to stir and add things. Jack smirked knowingly, “Don’t suppose that’s got anything to do with a certain smiley little jerk?” He teased her and wasn’t disappointed when she faltered a little, face going all the redder, “H-he’s not a jerk! J-just rough around the edges is all...Besides…” Mary’s smile softened, hand slowing a little, “I want to see him smile... _really_ smile. I bet that...Jeffrey has the most beautiful smile.”

Laughing Jack smiled a bit himself as he helped the teen finish the stuff, pouring it up on a tray lined with wax paper to cool. They were just cutting the confectionery into little squares when the front door slammed open, an angry shout echoing into the house from the snow followed by a pissed off looking raven. Followed closely by his younger brother and a redheaded boy that no one in the house recognized. “I can’t believe your acting like this! I thought you’d be happy!”

“I’ve not killed him yet have I?” Jeff bit out as he made for the stairs, looking ready to kill the next person to cross his path. “I-Is it because I’m gay?!” Liu questioned in confused outrage, clearly having lost his temper as well as Jeff rounded on him at the edge of the stairs in the foyer. “Oh for fuck’s sake, you know that’s not why! I dated Jack for over two years, I know you knew that! You stalked me for well over a year and a half before confronting me in the goddamn cemetery!”

“Then what the hell is the problem?!” Liu begged to know, the redhead staying by the door, not saying a word or moving. He looked uncomfortable as hell too. Mary nibbled her lip, uncertain what to do, as everyone seemed to be. No one was opening their mouths or even trying to do anything to diffuse the situation. “It’s because he’s-He’s…”

“He’s what Jeff?!”

“He’s one of **_them_ **! He’s one of the ones who started this whole fucking mess our lives are in!” Jeff screamed at the brunette who didn’t back down, only narrowed his green eyes, “If you would listen to me-”

“Why should I fucking listen! Your dating a sorry son of bitch whose hit you before! And on top of that he was one of the ones who did **_this_ ** to me!”

“He apologized for that years ago! And you fucking know he wasn’t the one that did that!”

“I might have been delirious but I’m not fucking stupid, Liu! Do you really think I could forget their goddamn faces?!” He advanced on the taller of the two, jabbing an accusing finger at the redheaded boy by the door who visibly flinched backward. Liu only glared harder at the raven inches in front of him, “I know you can’t forgot and I’m not asking you to, I can’t forget what happened either. I’m just asking you to listen to-”

“THEY SET ME ON FIRE!”

“RANDY AND TROY SET YOU ON FIRE! KEITH WAS WITH ME!”

“HE’S STILL THEIR FRIEND!”

Mary bit her lip a little harder, knowing she needed to do something before someone, or several someone's, got hurt. So, carelessly she grabbed up a piece of the candy from the tray, not noticing it was hot nor hearing Laughing Jack hiss as much at her as she walked right up to Jeff and put herself between him and Liu very suddenly. Both boys looked down at her in surprise as they parted slightly, one of them blinking in confusion while the other merely stared. The redheaded girl had pressed something warm and sticky to Jeff’s lips, staring up at him with a mildly uneasy expression, pulling on as calming a smile as she could manage because even her heart was racing in worry. She had never really seen Jeff this mad about anything before and it unnerved her, sure she had heard him destroying his room several months back, but not actually seen it. “S-say ah!” She said suddenly when he did not open his mouth at first, doing so now with an even more confused look as she pushed the sticky square of candy into his mouth and pulled her hand back. Fingers red from the hot piece of confectionery. The raven’s eyes widened a bit more as he chewed, not saying anything at all till he swallowed it. No one made a sound of moved. “Caramel…?” He breathed the question, frowning deeply at Mary a moment, looking a little unbalanced, like she had yanked the rug out from under him and in a way she sort of had.

The smaller teen nodded slowly, smiling a little more confidently now, “You said you liked them...so I asked Jack to help me make you a batch. I-I hope it tastes okay…” She replied, shifting a little, hands clasped before her. “B-but...why would you...do that...for me…?” The raven deflated onto the bottom of the stairs, looking up at Mary whose face turned slightly red as she looked away a moment and then back. “W-well...I...I wanted...I wanted to do something to make you happy, Jeffrey…” It was his turn to blush, looking away from her now and to the floor as she stared at him. Mary knelt on the floor slightly to the left of him, so she could see his face better, frowning a little when she saw tears in his black rimmed eyes. Opening her mouth to speak, he stopped her by shaking his head, “No one’s...done anything like that for me since…”

“Mom used to make you caramel for your birthday every year...It was the only nice thing I think she ever did for you. Our birthdays were the only day our parents were ever both at home…” Liu supplied behind Mary, Jeff nodding slowly to the words heaving a shaky breath. “It’s been six years now…” Blue eyes settled on the smaller teen before him, a smile pulling at his lips. A real, genuine smile...Letting out a small huff of a laugh, he reached up and wiped some of the tears from his face that had managed to escape, “G-got anymore…?” Mary smiled softly and nodded, “I made a whole tray full...huh?” Lifting her eyes, Jeff’s own following, both of them deadpanned. Above them BEN was floating with a smirk, holding what was undoubtedly mistletoe.

“Well? Go on and kiss her before my arm gets any more tired! I’ve been up here like twenty minutes, Mr. Dial-up!”

Both teens faces went brilliantly red, each looking away. It seemed like neither was willing to move. And then, just as Jeff turned his head back, Mary leaned up and pressed the lightest kiss to his lips. It lasted only a second, but to him it felt like eternity, memorizing the exact feeling of her soft lips on his own. Like velvet, the smell of caramel and blue raspberry filling his nose, the taste of it lingering on his own lips afterward. And then she was gone, face red from neck to hairline as she started into the kitchen, “A-and no more fighting!” She squeaked before she was gone. Leaving a stunned raven, a brunette, a redhead, and a blonde to stare after her.

Liu cleared his throat first, breaking the awkward silence, “Jeff...I just wanted to-”

“No, it’s...fine...Just...just…” Jeffrey stood awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head, before marching past Liu suddenly and pointing at the redheaded man behind him, threat clear in his eyes, but it lacked the fire from earlier. “You better treat my brother good or I’ll put you to sleep, got it?!” He shouted, squaring his shoulders. The other teen was around his own height so they were already eye level. Keith paled and nodded quickly, lifting his hands defensively. Breathing a relieved sigh when the raven backed away and moved toward the kitchen, only to stumble against the door frame dizzily. Liu letting out a vicious curse, glancing at once to the floor to see the small amount of blood dripping down onto it. Unnoticeable till now thanks to the black shirt and jacket Jeff was currently wearing, “Idiot! You overdid it! I was afraid of this!”

Eyeless Jack stood from the kitchen table and walked over, taking Jeff’s other arm with a sigh, stirring him to the stairs along with Liu. “Come on, I already set up extra bandages in your room. I figured this would happen…”

“Oh, screw you both…” The raven mumbled in annoyance, both of them smirking and at the same time saying-

“Sorry, I’m taken.”

Before bursting into laughter. The rest of the day went by in a much more relaxed manner, feeling to Mary like a real Christmas. Like one she had had when she was little. The only thing missing was her dad, she mused as she sat in the window of the living room late in the evening, sipping a mug of hot chocolate while Laughing Jack was telling stories to Sally and the others who were willing to listen. Those not listening sat by the fire talking or playing cards and outside snow drifted down gently to blanket the world in a fresh coat of white. She never noticed the figure watching her from the tree line, starring with silver eyes of sorrow...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays everyone! Hope you all enjoyed this little treat and aren't left to confused about the sudden new character! I'll explain him in a separate story to feature in 'The Origins of Jeffrey and Liu Woods' later in January!


	12. Impossible Promises

It was still early when Jeffrey Woods awoke in his bed, feeling sore and groggy. He lifted himself from his sheets, groaning a little at the ache in his chest as he went out to the hall to head to the bathroom. It was here, while washing his hands, that he glanced up into the mirror at his own reflection. His black hair was wilder than ever and was currently pushed from his face by the mask he wore to sleep in which was shoved up out of his way in order to see. His wide, bright blue eyes looked a little duller than he remembered, more tired. This, he decided, had to be because he was still injured and the pain was the cause. Letting out a small sigh, he looked away a moment and then back up with a smirk, “I am fabulous~” He winked at his reflection, grinning like a fool and giving himself a two thumbs up, before the smile turned into a grimace and he groaned. Leaning on the counter and hanging his head glumly, “Fuck’s sake, who the hell am I kidding…?”

He could boast all he wanted in front of others, but the truth was as clear as day when he say what he had done to himself all those years ago. A truth he had been denying for years until now...until her. She may be emotional, unstable, far from perfect. But he couldn’t ignore how she made him feel, how he felt about himself around her. Like he didn’t deserve her at all. Didn’t deserve the kindness she showed him. In some ways he felt like she was made for him, like a piece made just right to fit just him, improve him in ways he didn’t realize he needed. Her crazy matched his crazy perfectly. It also didn’t escape him that she was gradually becoming more unstable than when they first met and he had to ask himself how much of this was his fault, his doing as Liu seemed to blame him for. And how much was just pent up pain that she was now able to let out, though in a very much destructive way. In a way much the way he had at fourteen, the only difference was, as far as he knew, she hadn’t harmed herself out right yet. There was a part of him that wanted to walk away from her, push her away and hope she did better than him. Even though he was the one who made her a killer. And then there was the greedy selfish part of him that wanted to cling to her and never let go, never let anyone else near her, to lay a claim on her no one could dispute. Not Liu. Not Jack. Not even that damned Candy Pop. Or even Jason.

Shaking his head with a heavy sigh, he dried his hands and left the bathroom. Nearly to his room again he paused, catching an unusual sound coming from the direction of Mary’s bedroom down from his own. Curious, and secretly worried, he ventured toward her door. Lips pulled into a deep frown that contrasted greatly with the glasgow grin carved into his cheeks. Leaning toward the plain brown wooden door, he listened carefully. Wanting to make sure it was really coming from her room before waking her or something. 

Goodness knows she needed the damned sleep. Lately she had been looking paler than ever, almost paler than him and that was a feet in and of itself! The dark circles around her eye were more prominent too, dark bags that made the single green orb look nearly hollow. And Jeff suspected she might be getting sick, he and L.J both had noticed she hadn’t been eating right and moving a bit more sluggish than was normal. 

From beyond the door he made out the noise once more. It distinctly sounded like someone sobbing...Worried more so now, and less denying the fact to himself, he knocked lightly on the door. But the sobbing grew only louder moments after and were soon followed by Mary’s muffled voice, she sounded scared and desperate. “Wake up...please?! W-wake up! Don’t leave me...I-I’m sorry!” This time he didn’t knock, nor did he hesitate to open the door wide to check on the younger teen. “Mary? Are you alright?” He called out into the dark room, the little light cast from the hall allowing him to see her shape hunched over on the floor, he could just make out someone else laying in front of her on their side. Whomever it was wasn’t moving and it was too dark to see who exactly they were, but there was a small pool of glistening red on the floor under them. Mary flinched at the sound of his voice, turning her head, not toward him, but whomever was on the floor. Her back was to him. “Ngh?! J-jeff…?!”

He felt a chill run down his spine, realizing she was not talking to him. She was talking to the body in front of her. Did the redhead think it was him? Seriously?! Had she killed them…? Hurt them thinking it was himself…? The thoughts flashed through his mind and he realized he wouldn’t have blamed her if she had, he likely would have had it coming. But then again he couldn’t really picture her, small, frail Mary overpowering him. Despite seeing her overpower two teens twice her size. 

Inching a bit closer, he reached out a little toward her, though not quite touching her. “Mary...I’m behind you…” He told her in a soft, cautious voice, not wanting to scare her more than she clearly already was. The redhead flinched again, lifting her head so fast it made him wonder if it left her dizzy, turning her body halfway to see him since he was coming up on her left side. Her single green eye went impossibly wide at the sight of him, body shaking violently as she turned to look at the person on the floor and then him once more. He reached for her, this time intending to take her hand or at least put one of his own on her shoulder. But she jerked away as if she feared being burned, scooting back until she hit her bed three feet away, looking pale as a ghost. Her breathing turned shallow as she looked around the dark room, trying in vain to find something, what he didn’t know...at first. Though soon realized when she spoke again in a high, clearly terrified voice. “I don’t want to play! I don’t want to! Make this go away! PLEASE?! I WANT TO WAKE UP!” 

Jeff frowned deeply, glaring around the room himself, wondering if that thing was in fact the reason for this. But he saw nothing out of the ordinary, if one did not count the body on the floor that remained unidentified. “Mary, calm down...It’s me, I’m Jeff!” The raven tried, coming a little closer, hoping to calm the redhead down somehow. But it wasn’t working.

She shook her head, tears pouring down the good side of her face as she other dripped with blackened fluid, “N-no...no your...you’re over there...I...I have your eye…” The younger teen whimpered, pulling her knees up to her chest. The oversized gray t-shirt she slept in slipping down her legs up to her waist, showing now the black shorts she wore beneath. And if he wasn’t mistaken he could make out a number of scratches and marks on her legs that looked a little too pink to be very much older than a week or a few days. Again his heart sank. Had she done that to herself…? Straightening a little, feeling a little more determined, he walked back to the door and reached for the light switch on the wall. “I’ll prove it to you Mary, I’m going to turn on the light and you’ll see!”

“NO!”

But it was too late, he had walked right across the room and turned on the light over their heads before she could do a thing to stop him, illuminating the gruesome scene for them both. Automatically he looked at the body on the floor. His eyes going slightly wider at the sight, the mess. The guy had his throat slashed and multiple stabs wounds in his chest, the knife still buried in his head. Rather his empty left eye socket. The person indeed looked much like himself, similar wild hair, but this man’s was dark brown rather than black. They also had blue eyes, well one blue eye now, that was a dull, dark blue rather than bright blue like his. Hell their clothes even looked like what he was currently wearing. A striped shirt and loose shorts! But they were also wearing a white jacket over that. “Fucking...hell…” Jeff mumbled, someone had even carved a smile in the guys face for good measure. Whoever did this had really wanted to hurt Mary, clearly make her believe she had killed him, and they had succeeded in fooling her. No doubt the lack of lighting and the fact she was exhausted lately made it all the easier to do. Looking to the redhead his stomach churned, she was clawing at the left side of her face, sobbing with her right eye squeezed shut. The younger teen was clutching something in her right hand too and he didn’t need a closer look to know it was that guys missing eye. 

Quickly, he moved to kneel before her, ignoring the burn in his chest as he suddenly grabbed her hands to stop her from further harming herself, holding them to him. “Stop! Fuck, Mary calm down!” She didn’t open her eye and did not respond beyond curling up into a tighter ball, trying to pull her arms back, but it was a weak tug. He wasn’t sure if she was that weak or just that tired right then. Something said the later. Goodness knew how long she had been up alone in the dark with that corpse. “Come on, Mary open your eye and look at me! Please!” He pleaded with her. Still, she refused to look and he was growing desperate, more worried. At this point she was hyperventilating, and bleeding. If he didn’t do something she was going to pass out and that would be an even bigger issue. “Damnit, Mary...Please?! Y-you trust me, don’t you?” Now she responded, stilling at his words, her lip trembling. Finally she hung her head, nodding a little, “Y-yes…” The reply was soft, rough from the sobbing she had been doing. At last she opened her good eye to look at him, taking in a sharp breath when she saw it really was him. Shakily looking over at the body on the floor and back, the tears not yet ceasing, but her breathing was at least turning back to a slightly more normal state. “J-Jeff…? H-how...I-I…”

“It’s okay...I’m right here, see, I’m fine.” He smiled a little at her, letting go of one of her hands and taking her chin, making her look at him again. She was still crying, but at least that too was ebbing. “Can you tell me what happened?” It took her a few minutes of deep breathing to reply to his question, looking away from him again. “I-I...I had a nightmare...I thought...a-and when I woke up I was...I was soaked in blood and-and when I sat up I saw something on the floor. W-when I went to look I-I thought...I thought it was you! I-in my dream it was and-and I thought-!” She choked on the words, starting to sob all over again, “I-I can’t stay here! I need to leave!” Mary cried, coughing harshly moments later as she curled herself into a tighter ball against the bed frame behind her. “Mary, relax, please? Try to breath slow...you don’t need to leave, okay?” 

“But I do!” She managed to get out, looking up at him again as he reached out unthinkingly to wipe the tears from her face, “Wh-what if I really do hurt you next time!” Jeff’s smile turned sad, realizing this was the exact fear he had had about her only a few weeks ago. Standing up slowly, he pulled her up with him with the hand he still held, guiding her to sit on the bed with him rather than continue to crouch on the floor. Finding the only clear space left not soaked in red. Easing the growing burning pain in his chest. Finally letting her hand go once they were seated, both turned half-way to face the other. “Mary...listen...I...A couple weeks ago...I had something like this happen to me too.” He began, not meeting her eyes now, too afraid to. “I called L.J right after and...he talked me into moving in here. He said that...that the dreams I was having and what happened were because I…” He took a deep breath, feeling his heart pounding like mad in his chest. Looking anywhere but at her, trying to force the words out.

“Yes…?” The raven dared chancing a glance at Mary as she spoke, seeing that she seemed less scared and more wondering. It didn’t make it easier getting the words out, on the contrary it made it so much harder. Jeffrey felt like he was spilling his greatest secret to her, right there. And it terrified him...because he was scared she would reject him. The elder couldn’t blame her if she did, she deserved better! Literally anyone was better than him of all people! But the idea of seeing her with anyone else filled him with a rage he couldn’t quite explain away or ignore.

“He said it’s because I’m...I’m insecure about how I feel. Mary I...I’m  _ scared _ , alright?” Jeff stared into her eyes now, wanting her to know how serious he was right then, as if there was any doubt in that moment. “I’m scared of hurting you. I’m scared I’ll do to you what I did to my...my family...and Liu.” Blue eyes cast downward now as he wrapped his arms around himself, curling up a bit. Like he was shielding himself from her. The words were flowing now and wouldn’t stop, for the first time in nearly seven years he was going to tell someone what happened in his own words. And he was frightened, elated and...so many other things at the same time. “I was fourteen when we moved here and I thought it would be fine, I mean, I wasn’t happy about it. My whole life was left behind in New Orleans...B-but I wanted to make the best of it, y’know? For Liu. The third day after we moved here Liu and I went to the park, for some fresh air, just to get out. Nothing special. But then these guys...Fuck I can’t ever get their fucking smug faces out of my head! They attacked us, beat the shit out of Liu before I returned the favor!”

“I-I thought everything would just blow over, they would just drop it and leave us be. But, then my mom gets this brilliant fucking idea to make us go to this party at Keith’s. They were all there! All three of the bastards! But I really thought they wouldn’t pull anything there, for fucks sake the house was crowded with people!” He let out a nervous laugh, remembering that day with perfect clarity, “They um...Keith wanted to play football. ‘Cause I thought we were just going to let it all go and start over I said we would. He-He took Liu outside, I didn’t like it, I didn’t want Liu out of my sight...but I...Fuck I was so stupid!” Jeff grit his teeth, curling just a bit more on himself, one hand curling into his wild hair and gripping it tightly, painfully to remind himself where he was. That he was not in that house now. “I followed the other two, Randy and Troy, to the basement...Randy picked a fight, I should have seen that coming! This...this bottle of bleach got knocked off a shelf in the shuffle and dumped on us. I couldn’t see for a bit, the smell...fuck it still makes me sick when I smell that...And gas. Troy poured gas on me...And when I finally looked up, the last thing I saw was the fucking lighter coming toward me. Eh...ehehe…”

There was a wild look in Jeff’s eyes now as he went on, “I remember my parents talking about me in the hospital, they thought I was too out of it or sleeping. Didn’t think I would hear. My mother was telling my dad how ugly I was now, that no one would want to be near me looking like this! That the  _ neighbors _ would be disgusted! I never told Liu I heard them, I kept it to myself, let it fester in my heart till I was finally able to go home.” The raven swallowed thickly, eyes far off, “Heheh...I-I don’t remember that night very well Mary...I really don’t...I-I remember sitting on my bed, daydreaming. I-I thought I was imagining it all in my head! One minute I’m in my room and the next I’m standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, cutting this smile into my face! Eheheh~ M-my mother stood in the door and watched, never said a thing or tried to stop me...I remember asking her if she thought I was beautiful now...She ran from me and I...I don’t remember following her, just...just looking at her and my dad’s bodies on the floor...before...before stumbling down the hall to Liu’s room…” Mary did not speak the whole while as he told her his story, about how he had snuck into Liu’s room and tried to cut a smile into his baby brothers face. How he had thought him dead for so long. “I’m scared Mary...I’m scared of it happening again...of doing the same to you…” Jeff lifted pleading eyes to her, looking broken in so many more ways than could be put into words, “I fucking hate myself...I hate what I am and I hate that I fucking  _ enjoy _ killing people...I-I’d be better off dead...Everyone would be better off without me! Especially you!” He swallowed, pulling on this bitter smile, hot tears falling down white, scarred cheeks to get caught in the glasgow smile there. “And the worst part is...I don’t want to walk away...I don’t want to just leave so you can live...I  _ want _ to be here...to be beside you. I want to be as close as I can get and I know at some point I’ll end up hurting you…”

The redhead felt her heart shattering, watching as Jeff curled up on himself once more like that. Cautiously scooting forward, she hugged him as he grew quiet, feeling him stiffen in her hold much like he had in his kitchen last month. “I would have been your friend...Because I think you are beautiful Jeffrey...no matter what. I wish I could have known you then…” Mary stared at the wall behind him, her green eye swimming with sorrow and so many emotions she couldn’t quiet place, “But...I’m glad I met you now...And no matter what you think of yourself I’ll still think you’re wonderful.” The raven slowly relaxed, loosening his arms from himself to gingerly wrap them around her. Lifting his head to lay it against her shoulder. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, given she was so much smaller than him and he was hunched over rather awkwardly right then, but it meant so much to hear those words. He wished he had met her then too, maybe it could have saved them both so much anguish. As it was though, it was a relief to have her now at the very least. To know she wasn’t going to push him away, even knowing the terrible things he had done. “...please...please don’t ever leave me…” He begged softly, biting his lip a little as the words slipped free. He felt weak asking, but...he never wanted to lose her. Jeffrey needed to come to terms with how he felt, rather than push it all down, that’s what Jack had said. 

“I promise...No matter what happens, I’ll always come back to you.” Mary replied softly, smiling a little against his hair where she lay her cheek to his head. They stayed like that quite a while, until Mary let out a quiet yawn that reminded Jeff it was still pretty early in the morning. And the redhead likely hadn’t gotten much sleep again. Straightening up and unconsciously lowering his arms to her waist, he cleared his throat a bit awkwardly, glancing a moment at the corpse on the floor. She couldn’t really sleep in there at the moment and if he was honest he didn’t really need to be moving a body right then, he had already reopened his wounds once at Christmas and he was more than certain EJ would get pissed if he did it again so soon. Would likely be tortured for such. Looking back at the younger teen he saw she too was looking at the body, she looked exhausted and seemed to be thinking something along the same line as himself. 

Mulling over an idea that traveled suddenly to the surface of his mind he smiled a tiny bit, feeling those butterflies in his gut again, “Mary...can I...can I try something?” She looked up at him in confusion, clearly not sure what he was asking. “Sure…?” Jeffrey cleared his throat again, lifting a hand to cup her cheek, feeling the soft warmth of her skin against his fingers. He ran his thumb over the scars on the left side of her face, the fresh cuts a bit rougher than the old ones and was sure not to put pressure on them that might hurt the smaller teen. 

The elder felt his face getting hot, looking into her single green eye, “C-could you close your eyes, I-I promise I won’t hurt you…”  Now Mary smiled slightly, shutting her eye and letting out a small laugh, “I trust you Jeff…” And she really did. Probably more than most and likely more than she should, some of the others, including Jeff, thought. Mary sat as still as possible, waiting to see what the raven was planning. Feeling his hand slip to her neck rather than stay on her cheek, shivering a little at the way his warm fingers seemed to trace the curve of her throat. Now that she was like this she noticed more so the smell of blood in the room, the smell of fresh linen too and something so distinctly Jeffrey. Though it was hard to place that exact smell outside the fact she automatically associated it with the elder teen. It was an oddly floral smell, almost like roses but not quite as strong. It was like...like the smell of the flowers she often found at Liu’s grave!

The realization of this was fleeting and went quickly out of her mind, replaced by instant shock and then confusion as she felt warmth against her lips. Her green eye flying open in wonder, staring into Jeff’s blue eyes. Several things at once she picked up, like the multiple facets of the color in his eye. The bright blue that was made of up so many shades of azure and tiny, subtle hints of red and green. The next thing she noted was how warm his lips were against hers, pleasantly so in fact. His lips were a little rough in texture, chapped, but she didn't mind. The single eye falling shut again as she leaned in a bit, kissing him back shyly as her heart pounded loudly in her chest, stomach a mess of butterflies. Jeffrey’s lips turned up slightly when she reciprocated the gentle motion, giving him a little more courage to deepen it just a hair and was more than happy when Mary followed his lead and moved her lips against his. The raven breathed in deep through his nose, filling his lungs with the smell of blood and something sweet that clung to the redhead, feeling dizzy from it in the most addicting way. His arms tightening slightly around her thin waist as he both pulled her to him and scooted closer himself, wanting to lessen the distance as much as he could. 

After a few minutes they had to come up for air, parting with small gasps. Jeffrey stared down into Mary’s single green eye which seemed slightly darker now, smiling a small bit, “I didn’t think...you would actually kiss me back…” He said between pants, admiring the crimson that danced on her cheek bones and across her nose as she gave him a bashful look, “Wh-why…? I mean I-I kissed you at Christmas...I thought maybe  _ you _ might not feel the same…” The redhead admitted, nibbling her lower lip slightly, cheeks stained a deep crimson that rivaled her bright hair.

Jeff snorted a small laugh, throwing his head back a moment in his mirth before enveloping the confused redhead, “Are you kidding me?! Fuck, you shocked me so bad I sat on the stairs for an hour…” He grinned at her a moment before looking away, the joy souring a little, “But...are you sure…? About me I mean…? Mary...I’m not good for you, I’m dangerous...I’m unstable and I fucking know it.” The raven swallowed thickly, searching Mary’s gaze for any sign she might be second guessing this, a small part of him hoping she was if only for her safety. “If you want to back out, I won’t be upset. I would understand.” He tried to sound like he meant those words, but really it hurt saying them. He didn’t want her to back out, really, he loved her. But he still wasn't sure he trusted himself to be so close. 

Mary smiled softly, lacing her fingers with one of his hands, she leaned up and gave him an innocent, lingering kiss. “I trust you. And I don't want to back out, okay?” Jeff nodded his head slightly, looking a little starstruck a moment. But his focus returned when the younger teen yawned again, “Uh, it’s still pretty early in the morning and you seem pretty beat so...W-would you like to sleep in my room?” The raven offered bashfully, blushing deeply, “I mean-that is to sleep! I-I won't do anything!” The redhead giggled softly, face a little pink as well as she nodded and stood. “Sounds fine to me...but...what about him?” She motioned to the corpse on her floor, not looking at it longer than a second. Jeffrey shrugged, “We can deal with it later, come on.” The raven lead her from the room, going to his own next door after shutting hers up for the time being. No need for someone to walk in and see that mess yet and panic or something. He could think of at least three people who would sound the alarms right off if they found that. Letting her borrow one of his shirts, Mary went to clean up and change before they settled in for the night. 

The next morning Jeffrey was awoken by the small jerky motions of the body curled up to his right side, making him grown softly as he lifted his left hand to move the mask from his eyes in order to look down at the redhead. She must have been in the throws of another nightmare, if the frown on her face told him anything. Gently he lifted his other hand, carding his fingers through her soft red hair until she relaxed again. A small smile pulling at his lips beneath that glasgow grin in his cheeks, pleased he could calm her so easily. He was fully content to stay in bed all day if it meant Mary might get some real sleep, she needed it. The bags around her right eye were dark, rivalling the blackened skin around his own eyes. 

But as was typical in this house the peace was short lived as a soft knock came to his door before it was opened on a quiet creak, “Hey, I came to help change your-Huh?” Laughing Jack paused part way into the door, holding the first aid supplies in his arms, silvery eyes wide as he took in the sight before him. Jeff was giving him a shushing motion, blue eyes looking a little alarmed as he shot them down to look at Mary who made a distressed noise before curling up into a tighter mass against his side. Her hands curled tightly into the fabric of his t-shirt. The younger raven let out a breath of relief, glad she hadn’t woken. Jack was simply giving him a strange look of question as he at last walked over and sat his arm full of stuff on the nightstand, “Dare I ask?”

“It’s a long story...Um…” Jeffrey frowned deeply, laying his head back a moment, before carefully dislodging himself from Mary’s grasp in order to get up. It took a bit to manage and more than once he feared he had woken her, but she ended up wrapping her arms around his pillow and falling back to sleep without being aware he was gone. The raven hissed a little at the stinging in his chest as he lead Jack out of the room in order to talk more easily. “I-I found her crying in her room early this morning...She had...she had one of those weird semi-real nightmares.” The teen tried to explain, but was met with a quizzical look from Jack, “Like the one I had? When I called you at three in the morning a few weeks ago?” The clowns eyes went wide and worried, glancing toward Mary’s bedroom door, “Is...Is it still there? The body?” Jeff nodded in reply, face grim, “Yeah...but something seems off about it. It looks staged to me, like someone was setting her up.”

Laughing Jack gave an even more distressed expression to this, walking down to the red headed teens room and opening the door, flipping on the light to see the scene before him. The gore didn’t bother him so much as that the body indeed seemed staged. The fact the man on the floor not only looked like Jeffrey, but someone had re-dressed him in a white jacket and cut a smile into their face too. Plus the way the blood was splashed about seemed off, haphazard in a way that didn’t fit. Mary wouldn’t have done something like this, the missing eyes was her doing he was sure, but not the rest. “See what I mean?” Jeff broke the silence, making Jack look up from where he knelt next to the body, “Yeah, this does seem staged.”

“I bet it was that blue freak.” Jeffrey growled, hands formed to fists at his sides as he thought of the monster haunting the the girl sleeping so soundly in his room at the moment. Laughing Jack shook his head, wild black hair shifting around his pale head, “I don’t. This isn’t his style. He prefers illusion to reality, he wouldn’t waste his time on finding a real person to stage a scene like this. Someone else is involved.” The teen raised a brow at this, looking skeptical, “Who would do something like this to Mary? Shit she’s nice to fucking everyone.” The monochrome man shook his head, getting to his feet, “I don’t know. Maybe someone trying to scare her off?” 

The two raven’s fell silent, the teen trying to mull over who would want Mary gone. She kept to herself most the time, was polite to everyone in the house. Hell he had only seen her flip on people that deserved it, mainly those kids that attacked her. “So…” Jeff lifted his blue eyes to meet Jack’s, wondering what he wanted to say, the question that followed hit hard in a way he hadn’t expected. “Is it official? You and Mary I mean…” The shorter of the two looked to the floor, taking a deep breath before he answered, “Yeah...as of this morning. I um...I told her how I felt so…” Jack merely nodded to this, moving to leave, but Jeffrey grabbed his stripped sleeve to stop him, “Listen...For what it’s worth...I am sorry for how I treated you Jack...I...I wasn’t in a good place back then and I was confused. I...I do love you. Just...just not like you loved me and I’m sorry…” He let go, rubbing his own arm as he went on, “You deserve to be happy you know...so…” Jeff bit his lower lip, before looking up at the other who was looking away from him, the expression in those gray eyes unreadable. “I am going to take care of her. I swear it...I won’t do to her what I did to you so don’t worry.”

Laughing Jack said nothing as he walked down the hall away from Jeff, disappearing down the stairwell moments later. Leaving the teen behind, his heart hammering brokenly. He would always have that guilt, no matter what he said or did he could never undo what he had down to his ex-boyfriend. But he was determined to treat his new girlfriend right. Walking back to his room he opened the door quietly, smiling just slightly to find she was still sleeping. Grabbing some clean clothes and the fresh bandages Jack had left he went to the bathroom for a shower.

Pulling on a fresh black t-shirt with the words ‘F*ck Off’ in red across it and some dark wash black jeans, drying and attempting to comb his wild hair out so it was semi-presentable. He smiled at his own reflection, feeling hopeful and energetic for the first time in years. The teen rushed down stairs, grabbing up a plate of pancakes and the syrup container, putting them on a tray. Ignoring the weird looks he was getting from Toby, BEN, and Eyeless Jack who were seated eating at the dining table. Filling up a glass with orange juice, he started back out of the kitchen. “Yo? Where are you going Dial-up?” BEN asked, his curiosity getting the best of him as he got up and started following the raven, who frowned and tried to ignore him. But was stopped when the glitch popped into the front of his path on the way to the stairs, “Hellloooo~?” He asked as he waved a hand in front of Jeff’s blue eyes, the raven shooting him a glare.

“Fuck off BEN, I’m busy.” Jeffrey growled as he tried to skirt around him and continue up the stairs, but the blonde wasn’t giving up so easy as he appeared in front of the the raven and floated through the air backwards. “Busy with what? What requires a breakfast that nice that you can’t eat with the rest of us?” At the bottom of the stairs Toby and Eyeless Jack both leaned out the kitchen archway, watching and listening with avid curiosity. Jeff rolled his blue eyes with annoyance, grumbling as he kept going, refusing to answer. The other two following. By the time he reached his bedroom door the group of three was now five, with Sally and Jason having come from down the hall. Interested in the gathering of bodies, the toy maker held the child ghost on his shoulder so she could see over all the taller people around them. The raven haired teen’s mood was quickly becoming sour as he held the tray in one hand and opened his door, planning to shuffle in before anyone saw, but as his luck was shit it didn’t work that way. 

Instead he was met with a very sleepy looking redhead who was rubbing her good eye, standing in his way in one of his rumpled black t-shirts and her shorts. Mary yawned softly, lifting her green eye to look at the raven before her whose face was stained now a deep scarlet. Her gaze took in the others around him, cheeks heating as well. BEN crossed his arms, smirking, “So uh...when did this start?” The blonde asked in a teasing voice, leaning in close to Jeff whose eyes were hidden in his bangs. There was a chorus of snickers in the hall. “Jeff and Mary sitting in a tree!” Sally sang loudly with a laugh, which was joined by some of the others, “S-so are y-you guys dating? H-huh?” Toby asked with an innocent enough smile as he leaned forward a little, EJ covering a small laughing beside him before grinning, “It’s about bloody time dude.”

Mary fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, not sure how to answer exactly, they hadn’t really gotten to talking about terms like that. Swallowing a thick bundle of nerves, she lifted her good eye to Jeff’s unseen ones, “I-I...I think so…” It remained quiet a few more minutes, the raven holding so still he seemed like a statue. But the redhead noticed the small shaking of the tray he was holding and bit her lip, maybe she had over stepped? BEN seemed unaware of the dillium, that or didn’t care, as he nudged Jeff’s shoulder with a grin plastered on his glitching features. “Weeeellll~?” 

The shaking increased until the raven finally let out a vicious growl, stepping around Mary and grabbing the door, smiling dangerously at the group, blue eyes sharp. “Yes. We are. Now, if none of you fucking mind I’d like to enjoy breakfast ALONE with my girlfriend!” He punctuated the last word by slamming the door on them, Mary jumping a bit at the noise with a wide eye. It was several moments before she dared speak, ringing her hands a little, “Ah-ah...um…are you…?”

“I’m fine…” Jeff bit out, jerking a little as he sat the tray on his desk, did a motion with his hands and straightened. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slow, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap.” He said quietly, peaking at the redhead over his shoulder, rubbing his neck a bit, “I just...I really hate attention like that.” He was relieved when Mary smiled at him, clearly relaxing as she walked closer, “It’s okay, I had a feeling that was the reason.” They were both quiet a moment, just staring at each other, before Mary spoke again. “So...Um, breakfast?” Jeff’s eyes went wider a moment, face turning a shade or two of pink, “Right! Sorry, yeah. Uh, I hope you don’t mind pancakes.” The shorter smiled brightly and shook her head, “Not at all.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took so long. I've got so many projects lined up at once ^.^' Check out my DA page for news and other random CP stuff: https://grellex2.deviantart.com/

**Author's Note:**

> So, first ever Creepypasta story. First chapter is short, sorry, I wanted it longer but didn't want all the drama in one place. The future chapters will be longer I hope ^^ Also a wrote a short horror story about Mary herself called 'Miserable Mary', read it too please? This is more like her origin story, a bit as well as a fan-fiction about the other Creepypasta's. Please don't hate me if I don't play out the characters exactly, first time writing them. >.< Comments are greatly appreciated, I'd really like to know what people think!


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